New Girl in Town
by bibbitybobbityboohoo
Summary: Humanish/High school AU Shigeo meets his new classmate and is attacked by strange feelings. What sort of new adventures will this strange girl with gems on her hands bring to Shigeo's life? Shigeo/Garnet
1. Chapter 1

Another day. Another math class. Another nap. It wasn't that Shigeo didn't want to learn or pay attention… it was just really, really hard. What once was readable language turned to gibberish that no normal person could hope to overcome. It was enough to cause his eyes to grow heavy and his head to droop. And… then his brain shut off and he was dreaming dreams that didn't confuse him like the numbers and formulas and sentences put on the board. Yes, his dreams never betrayed him.

Knock knock.

Shigeo stirred just a bit but didn't pick his head up as he knew that the math hadn't gotten any easier and his dream was just getting really good. There was a girl, well he thought it might be a girl. There was a light shining behind them so bright it barely allowed him to view her but somehow he knew that he liked this girl. There was something very special about her. And her voice was… was oh, that was Ms. Yamanaka. Not the girl surrounded by light but the voice at the door. Ms. Yamanaka was a very nice lady who had a knack for telling when someone was in trouble or lost. She was very empathetic probably because she was a esper as well. She hadn't shown talent in any other way but she definitely had the energy of an esper.

"I am sorry to interrupt but it seems our transfer students got lost on the way. They were all at Bean Sauce Middle School causing quite the confusion. Their parents were very embarrassed but I told them it was no problem. New cities and different languages are quite confusing at first," this statement was followed by a cheerful laugh. Ah. Ms. Yamanaka finding lost kids again.

"So you're the missing Garnet I called for. Tch, well get inside, get inside. Thank you Ms. Yamanaka," the door was shut and the quiet suddenly burst with low chatter.

"Whoa. She's so… different."

"I've never seen someone like her like in real life."

"Her hair is huge… they call them afros right?"

"Those glasses are so shiny."

"Skin. Where did she get it?"

"Hey hey! Quiet down!" Jeeha-sensei shouted, "So troublesome. Everyone meet your new classmate. She transferred from all the way in… uh...? Never mind. Introduce yourself to the class and then I will assign someone to guide you around the school."

A new voice filled the silent class. It was a voice filled with warmth and something that Shigeo knew but couldn't quite put a finger on. And also a horrible, horrible accent that marred nearly every word spoken. It was enough for Shigeo to pick up his head and immediately freeze as he stared at the new female student.

"Hi. My name is Garnet Fyre. My Japanese speak is very bad but that is okay. I will get better. I come from far away and hope to make many, many new friends," the girl was so… so…

"Pretty," Shigeo whispered, eyes wide as he stared openly at the girl. He had never seen anyone like her in person. He'd seen one character in his favorite manga but it did not capture the… wow, she was very pretty. Her skin was a deep, dark brown. It was the smoothest and darkest tan Shigeo had ever seen. Her lips were full and looked so squishy and shiny. Her nostrils were wide and her nose flat. And her hair. Her hair reached for the heavens without a single bit of psychic energy or gel to hold it in place. And it was pink and blue. Like cotton candy! That was all he could make out because she wore large, reflective glasses that covered the top half of her face.

"Did you hear that?!" A loud voice suddenly rose. A boy Shigeo did not readily recognize stood up and had a finger nearly jabbed into Shigeo's eye, "Mob-kun thinks the new girl is pretty! He liiiikkkkkeeeessss her!"

 **Progress towards Mob's explosion: 3%**

"W-what?" Although his expression didn't change much, a bright red blush fell upon his cheeks and only caused the laughter around him to get that much louder. He wasn't quite sure why they were laughing or even some of the comments they were making.

"Mob is getting all hot for the new girl!"

"Bet he wants to toooouuuuuch her all over!"

"Eww like she'd ever let that happen!"

"This is Mob we're talking about. He couldn't get a girl if he was the last guy on Earth!"

"She'd have to notice him first!"

Laughter. A lot of laughter.

"HEY!" Garnet shouted loudly, bringing her foot up and down in such a vicious way that a crack appeared under her heel. The windows burst open and a mysterious wind that shook the trees filled the room. Shigeo blinked as a connection suddenly made itself in his head. She was an esper. But, that was weird because Shigeo couldn't feel even a bit of power coming from her. Actually, hm. Shigeo frowned as he concentrated on her. That was odd. Everyone gave off some kind of presence, even people without esper power. They were dimmer, yes but they were there but this girl. This Garnet… it was like she wasn't there. He couldn't sense her presence. It was like she wasn't a real person. But she was and she was very not happy. The look of anger projected even behind such large, glinting glasses was all consuming and probably dangerous.

"Stop that! I… I can not speak how I want but I will not see people hurting people. So you leave him be!" Garnet slammed her fist on the desk closest to her and that too cracked under her rage, breaking in half above the unfortunate student's lap. That brought the angry girl to a dead stop. It was like she hadn't even been aware that she had done such a thing but now that she had, Garnet looked at her fellow classmates who were once laughing. Now they were slightly scared and it must have hurt the girl because her entire stance changed. Though her skin was dark it was easy to tell her embarrassment through her bowed head and trembling body.

"I apologize," she murmured. Jeeha-sensei sighed and began to mutter about destructive children and idiot bullies before he waved her on. As she made her way down the aisle, Shigeo became aware that one of the few empty seats just so happened to be right next to him. And she was going for that seat. And she was sitting down in that seat. Right next to him.

"Looks like you got your chance Mob," the boy who started the whole mess whispered, jabbing a elbow into his side. Of course it didn't hurt but the comment was confusing what chance? He followed the boy's eyes and saw that the new girl was already looking at him. Her lips were curved up but as he met her eyes behind the thick glasses he was taken by surprise as the smile filled with bright happiness nearly blinded him.

His heart gave a thump. Uh oh. Something was wrong with him.

 **Progress towards Mob's explosion: 10%**

"Kageyama, Fyre. Stay behind," Jeeha-sensei commanded just before the bell rang. For some reason a couple of his classmates whistled as they walked out and made comments Shigeo couldn't quite make out but it didn't seem to bother Garnet who walked to the teacher's desk and stood silently.

"Yes Jeeha-sensei?" Shigeo joined his new peer.

"I believe that you are the best fit to guide Fyre around. That's it." And just like that they were out the door and heading towards lunch.

" _So you're an esper, huh?"_ Garnet suddenly spoke. But not in whatever language was causing such ugly mispronunciations and not in Japanese. It was something entirely different that he could understand and feel.

"Uh…" Shigeo found his words tied along his tongue as he gazed upon the girl before him. She walked steadily and carefree with her hands behind her head and a neutral expression on her face.

" _This is mind speech. But I can't read your mind. I can only throw out my thoughts and hope you throw back,"_ Garnet finally turned her head and a soft smile in his direction. Shigeo started to respond or at least he thought he was going to but Garnet was on the move. She whirled around, flinging her bag to the side and throwing her arms wide open. It was then that Shigeo heard the light sound of feet running behind him. He turned in just enough time to watch Garnet get tackled to the ground by a grey something. The dust cleared and it revealed that it was a small girl in Garnet's arms.

This girl was brown but not like Garnet. Her skin was a much lighter shade of brown with darker brown freckles splattered across her nose. Her eyes, which were big and brown, literally sparkled. Her lips were moving extremely fast and was shaped a bit like Garnet's. Shigeo noted that she was also chubby with round cheeks that he was sure people probably pinched a lot. The oddest thing about her though was her knee length hair which was a very noticeable and natural looking gray. Very odd these foreign people and their hair.

Shigeo idly wondered what the girl was talking about. It sounded like absolute gibberish to his untrained ears. Very fast absolute gibberish. It must be something good because when she paused for a breath, Garnet started to lavish the girl with face kisses. The girl immediately protested and attempted to get away but Garnet had her in a tight hold and wouldn't relent her attack of affection.

"Amethyst! I said to stay close while we looked for Garnet. Oh and your skirt is showing your upper thighs and your shirt is exposing your chest! Amethyst fix yourself!" Another girl came running up to them. This one was slim and brown too but not as dark as Garnet and not as light as the one she called Amethyst. Her eyes were big and blue and filled with irritation and concern. Her hair was an odd shade of peach and slicked back and up (also in an odd way). Shigeo idly thought that they must come from somewhere with a lot of sun to gain skin like this.

The chubby girl stopped squirming long enough to glare at the new girl. When she spoke it must have been something bad because the new girl's anger spiked and she responded in the same gibberish. Garnet meanwhile had taken to frowning. This did not stop Amethyst as she untangled herself and stood on her feet. Shigeo was quite amazed that such a small girl could be this loud and be near his age group. She was really small. She continued on in an angry tone, waving her arms around and pointing at her skirt which had only risen up a little bit. Then she proceeded to lift the skirt all the way up or she tried to. Garnet's arms were around her before she could finish the action.

"You both are being very rude. You must speak in Japanese and be nice enough to introduce yourselves," Garnet admonished.

"Fine G! Hey P how about you take a bite outta my ass!" The girl shouted, leaning back against Garnet as she obviously could not break the taller girl's hold. While she had an accent as well (one different than the new girl and Garnet's) her words came out efficiently and nicely.

"Why you-!"

"Hey there you are!" Ritsu. It was Ritsu rounding the corner now. A once worried expression turned into relief. Next to him was an equally frantic Onigawara. The former delinquent practically jumped the new girl and began to look her over. He couldn't afford there to be a scratch on her or he'd land back into being actively called a pervert.

"Oh yeah. We left our escorts," the new girl smiled sheepishly. She then blinked and seemed to notice Shigeo for the very first time. "Ooh. Oh my! I am so sorry. I was so busy running after Amethyst I didn't notice you. Hello. I am Pearl Cheena and this is my sister Amethyst Quartz."

"Yo," Amethyst half waved, chewing on a bag of potato chips Shigeo was sure hadn't existed before. She turned a small smile to him and gave him a light hip check, "Sorry about all the confusion. I was trying to sneak up on Garnet. You gotta do a better job of distracting her homeboy."

"Oh you must be the other two transfer students the student council mentioned. Hello I am Ritsu Kageyama. I'm Shigeo's younger brother," Ritsu smiled charmingly.

"Enough with the introductions already! We're gonna miss lunch if we keep on yammering and you two are going to be late for your next class," Onigawara warned, giving a disapproving look to Amethyst and Ritsu.

"Oh no. Not tardiness," Amethyst gasped dramatically. She grabbed at Ritsu and swooned in his arms. When she looked up at him her eyes were wide and filled with fake tears, "Whatever will I do if I am late?"

"You will miss lunch to have sensei yell at you," Garnet intoned as though she had been asked the question seriously. Amethyst froze and her expression got serious. She grabbed Ritsu's hand and started to run much faster than anyone would have guessed she could. Shigeo wondered if Ritsu would tell her that she was dragging them in the wrong direction.

"C'mon we should get on with the tour. We'll eat and walk," Onigawara grabbed his own transfer student by the bag and began to drag her away. Pearl only put up a small struggle, looking at her friend for help. Which Garnet did not attempt to do. Instead she turned to her guide and Shigeo was sure that she winked at him behind those glasses. His heart did that weird thing again.

 **Progress to Mob's explosion: 11%**

The rest of the day was uneventful. Garnet did not speak much even with the mind speech. She didn't raise her hand but if the teacher called on her she had an answer ready. Even if it wasn't the right one. Shigeo marveled at the confidence that didn't leave her even when the teacher harshly corrected her. Garnet would respond that she would get better with hard work and studying then she would sit down and the class would continue. It was amazing.

"Kageyama-kun! We thought you weren't going to make it… who is this?" Musashi tilted his head curiously. Shigeo blushed hard as he kept his eyes straight. He couldn't look at Garnet. He had to not look at her. Not when she was wearing his spare uniform that was a bit too small in length and a bit too tight around her… parts. It made his body oddly hot looking at her and he made another mental note to talk to his master about it.

"Hello. I am Garnet Fyre and I would like to join your club please," Garnet stepped forward. Musashi looked at the girl before him curiously. He was undeterred by how different she looked compared to anyone else he has ever seen with his own two eyes, instead he focused on her actual body. She wasn't weak in any sense of the word. He could tell by her stance and the confidence that came off her in small, gentle waves. In the badly fitting uniform he could see the lean muscles of her arms and the forming muscles on her bottom half. It seemed that she ran a lot. And that she would probably grow up to be very tall. If he imagined her without the cloud on her head, he'd say she was about six centimeters taller than Kageyama.

"Are girls allowed in Body Improvement Club?" Hiroshi wondered aloud, interrupting his thoughts. Oh. He hadn't considered that girls wouldn't be allowed. Bodies came in all genders, shapes and sizes. Why would anyone make a rule to exclude anyone?

"I don't think they aren't allowed… they just never wanted to join," Ryohei offered up his information, scratching at a side burn and diverting his eyes to the sky. Musashi nodded in relief. He wasn't sure that he could handle any discrimination in his club and was glad that he wouldn't have to go through the process of changing rules. He looked back to Garnet to see that the girl was already stretching in preparation for their workout and seemed unbothered by their discussion.

"Okay I will give you the form afterwards Fyre-kun. Are we all ready to improve our bodies!?"

"Yeah!" The boys responded loudly and they dashed off. Shigeo found that he had definitely improved. He kept up with the group for a complete three minutes before he began to lag but he didn't feel faint yet and the burning in his muscles was a minimum. This didn't distract from the sweat that was pouring down his body and Shigeo could admit that breathing wasn't all that fun at the moment. But he kept on. In fact, he even tried to push himself to go faster.

" _You used to rely solely on your powers?_ " Garnet's voice filled his head. It wasn't a question, the answer was very obvious. Shigeo panted out syllables but they made very little sense and the saliva he used for gibberish was the last he had so he gave a desperate nod and grasped onto the little presence on the edge of his mind in an effort to give her the answer he wanted her to know.

" _I… I am making myself better so I can… can be the person I want to be. Someone... someone strong physically and noticeable and well-liked_ ," wow he was panting mentally too. His vision was starting to blur. He shook his head hard and his vision cleared up a bit. Progress.

" _That is admirable. Has it been working?_ " Garnet asked and the little presence was sorta calming at the edge of his mind. Shigeo looked over at her and noticed that the other hadn't even broken a sweat. He didn't sense any power coming from her but he hadn't sensed it when she yelled at the class. Which reminded him that he had to speak to his master about that because that was odd. As he looked at her, with only a little bit of jealousy, he could tell that she didn't need her powers to keep up if not outrun everyone in the club. Maybe she wasn't powerful enough to use her abilities for such activities but, again, for some reason he doubted that. She just didn't rely on them like he and Teru did.

" _Yes_ ," Shigeo smiled proudly, " _I have gotten much better. I can keep up longer and nii-san says my punches hurt. When Teru-kun and I first fought I couldn't hit him hard enough to stop him from choking me but now Teru-kun almost takes me seriously_."

Shigeo wasn't shy about his past with Teruki. Mostly because they were different people now, friends in fact. Teru often invited him and Ritsu over to his house for various reasons but mostly to just hang around and do nothing spectacular. Sometimes they studied, sometimes they watched movies and sometimes Teru would encourage a bit of physical rough play that usually ended up with Shigeo panting and sweaty but at the very least he never passed out. He even managed to leave a bruise on the other's arm once.

" _Teru?_ " Garnet repeated.

" _He's an esper too. When I first met him, he used his powers all the time and came to think himself much more important and special than he actually is but since our fight... well, he's pretty fun and friendly. We're best of friends now."_

"Hey Kageyama-kun! You made it!" Big arms suddenly grabbed him and he was surrounded by muscled bodies that were insistent on pushing him around and giving him hard pats on the shoulder and little shakes of congratulations. The psychic looked around and realized that he had made it. They were at the finish line already! And he didn't-

"Annnnnd there he goes," Onigawara shook his head as the skinny teenager collapsed in the middle of the group. He was quite impressed though. It was obvious that Mob didn't exercise… at all and that he had the stamina of a ninety year old man but he was still pushing himself and obviously he had gotten better. He made it to the finish line only looking half pathetic and only fainted after he realized. He looked to the girl he'd been running with. They had been silent but they were communicating-he could tell.

"For the rest of our session work on whatever body part you'd like. I'll take Kageyama-." Musashi started but was interrupted as the new girl appeared at his elbow.

"I am tired too. I can take him instead," Fyre interrupted and obviously lied. She hadn't broken a sweat. Her breathing wasn't even elevated. Then again, she was just keeping pace with Kageyama who was not running as fast as any of them. Musashi did worry about her carrying him. She might be a bit taller and even have a better muscular frame but he was still a grown boy and she was still a girl. He wouldn't say anything though, he was sure that she'd take it as an insult.

"You know the way?" the club president raised a brow. The girl gave him a smile and he was sure that she even winked at him from behind her glasses. He supposed that was answer enough for him. Garnet slung a limp arm over her shoulder and slowly began dragging their weakest member to have a sit down.

END

Whoooo weeee that was the first chapter of my first fic with characters from shows I do not own? Why yes it was. I saw the first season of Mob Psycho 100 recently and it's great. Anime is great. I am in love. I hope for a season two much like I hope for more Hunter x Hunter. Yeah I said it. Anyway see yall next week-guaranteed unlike HUNTER X HUNTER!


	2. Chapter 2

When he came back around, what Shigeo did expect was to be surrounded by the telepathy club eating snacks and playing games. He expected to be flat on his face and a bit cold from all the sweat that soaked through his clothes. What he did not expect was to be floating fifty feet in the air. It was actually kinda comfortable like laying on the perfect bed but he wasn't doing this himself. He could stop it if he wanted to, just had to put more pressure on his body than the other esper… but it was nice so he settled into it and started to drift back to sleep. But then there was that horrible screeching.

"Another esper!? Oh my! I have been blessed. It must be fate that you join our club and make us official again! My luck is finally turning around."

"I joined Body Improvement Club."

"YOU TOO?! But why? You have a great body! An amazing body! Look at your shape. Your flat tummy. Your beautiful, shapely thighs. Your BOOBS are even nice!"

"Uh… do you want me to leave?"

"DON'T BE PERVERTED!"

A slap.

Shigeo sighed and shifted on his telekinetic bed to peek down at the others. Garnet was back in her sailor uniform and was casually allowing herself to be gripped up by Tome. The girl was only inches from the other's face and holding her so tight it was possible that Garnet would bruise.

"Uh hello everyone. Do you mind keeping it down?" Shigeo asked politely then laid back down. He was still in his gym uniform which was good. He didn't want someone dressing him. Of course that brought up the question of when did Garnet get changed and how long he'd been unconscious. He's never made it that far before and found himself quite impressed with himself. He made a promise to get the same distance but stay conscious next time.

Then it occurred to him just who had to be the one to carry him back. It was Garnet. Which meant that she had seen him faint right in the middle of the club. And there went the comfortableness of his telekinetic bed. The teenager sighed and rolled off the fake bed and landed steadily on his feet with a bit help from his own power. Then he collapsed bonelessly into a chair. Not as nice. But it allowed him to bury his face and contemplate if he was super embarrassed that he fainted or that Garnet had been the one to carry him.

"Keep it down?! Why didn't you tell me that one of the new girls was like you?!" Tome shouted directly above him. Shigeo forced himself to sit up and look at the girl.

"I think they're all espers," he answered casually.

"WHAT?!" So many questions flew through Tome's head. Like why did he say "think". He said he could sense others like him from even far away. And where were the other transfer students because one of them had to want to join them. And since when did three espers just appear outta nowhere like these girls. That was a bit weird right? Tome had gone her whole life wanting to meet real espers, attempting to be a real esper and giving up on either and then four of them are just there. Well Mob always existed. She just hadn't known what he was. But these three came out of the blue… Tome also put in her list of questions about the new girl's hair dye. It looked extremely natural.

"Yeah. Both Quartz-kun and Cheena-kun were using small illusions to cover jewelry," Shigeo continued, unaware of the inner turmoil going on with Tome at the moment. He looked to Garnet who's mouth was slightly open in surprise, "Garnet-kun is hiding one too on her left hand."

"Close," Garnet spoke up and she held up her hands. Shigeo blinked. There were two. Two pieces of jewelry in the palm of Garnet's hands. Why? Another question that needed to be answered. The telepathy club duo looked but they saw nothing but smooth flesh. Maybe Mob was losing it.

"You sure you won't join our club?" Tome tried once more, this time in the sweetest voice she could muster. She had been so shocked by the sight of Mob casually floating above the foreign girl that she attacked her with desperation. Well she did get overboard with the objectification of the girl's body and the touching but she promised to not do it again.

"You should try Amethyst. She is the most likely to join," Garnet suggested. Tome was out the door before the other could even say where Amethyst was or what she looked like. Well, Pearl and Amethyst looked much different than the other students so it wouldn't be hard finding her in a crowd but it would have been easier if Tome had waited for Garnet to speak.

"She is determined," Garnet noted with a chuckle.

"She gets like this when there's new hope. Hopefully this Amethyst girl will join then we will be a real club again. By the way I'm Inugawa. Saruta and Haruto are running a little late," the blond haired boy smiled. Garnet smiled back.

 **Progress towards Mob's explosion: 15%**

Shigeo stood up finally. It was getting late and he didn't want to keep Reigen waiting. The spiritual psychic had texted him earlier about a low level spirit he wanted Shigeo to hone his skills on. Shigeo didn't quite know how to describe how he felt about those spirits but he supposed he could settle for bored. They offered not a single bit of challenge and no effort meant it was over in a second and he was walking back home in another second. Yeah, boring was the word. But Reigen was wise and knew what was best. If he thought that defeating boring spirits was the way to help Shigeo and his control then he would do it a hundred times over.

"Are we going to see this man now?" A picture was shoved in his face. Shigeo stopped short mostly because he was in his locker room and his shirt was halfway up his body thus he was exposing his entire torso to an indifferent Garnet. Shigeo looked around and noticed that half the Body Improvement Club were also in the locker room and their faces looked very odd. He didn't understand but he did recognize the man in the picture.

"That's Reigen-sensei. I'm going there now," Shigeo answered, taking off his shirt and starting with his gym shorts. Garnet hummed and took a seat on the nearby bench, presumably to wait for her tour guide.

"KAGEYAMA-KUN HAVE YOU NO SHAME!?" Musashi burst out, his shirt held over his chest tightly. His face was bright red and it looks as though the vein in his forehead was going to burst any second. Shigeo frowned and thought about what was happening and couldn't really find anything to cause such an outburst. So he continued to pull down his shorts only for strong hands to grab him and he was in the air in a tight embrace.

"THERE'S A GIRL IN HERE!" Musashi continued. Shigeo looked around and saw that Garnet had pulled a book out of her bag and was now reading it, obviously with great concentration because she didn't look up until several throats were cleared. And when she did look up, Garnet took in the scene quietly then looked directly at Shigeo in question. The esper couldn't quite shrug but he did try to communicate his similar confusion.

"Get out of the boy's locker room!" Onigawara finally roared from his curled up, naked position. Garnet frowned but she got up and left without a fuss. Shigeo was gently placed back on his feet to continue his task but he was still not quite sure what the problem was. She hadn't been staring at them, she was just reading her book silently. It looked like their history homework in fact. He sighed.

"I just don't get it," Shigeo muttered, buttoning his shirt. He tapped his tip of his shoes against the ground and scooped up his bag. As he left, he made sure to say goodbye to everyone and thank them for a good meeting. He opened the door and paused as he noticed that Garnet was talking to… oh no. Shigeo felt a small blush start on his cheeks as his entire vision narrowed onto the most beautiful girl in the entire school.

Takane Tsubomi.

A big smile was lighting her entire face, in fact it seemed that it was lighting all of her surroundings. It put her in a spotlight that was only for her. He noticed that a dimmer but still distinctive light was shining out the corner of his eye but he ignored it for the beauty of Takane Tsubomi. Her big, round eyes were sparkling like a thousand stars and her delicate, soft lips were moving and her voice rang like gentle bells or like a song he never wanted to stop hearing.

"So if you need any help here's my number. Or if you want to have girl chats. Or I can show you around town. I would love to, in fact. I've never been further than a town or two," Takane held out a piece of paper in her clean and nicely shaped hand and Shigeo wished he was the one who was getting the paper. He didn't have Takane's number. Well that wasn't the truth. Her home number hadn't changed since they were kids but she had a cell phone now and he got too nervous trying to call her home without invitation.

A dimly lit hand entered her bright domain and caught Shigeo's attention a little bit. That hand too was clean and nicely shaped but much darker compared to the paleness of Takane. He liked that hand. He turned his eyes to the dimly lit person and saw… oh, it was Garnet. She looked down at the number before putting it in her pocket and giving the slightly shorter girl a smile. The smile lit her face and the dim light shining above her brightened just a bit. It was enough that Takane was not the sole person in his vision.

"Thank you Tsubomi… would I say chan?" Garnet hesitated. Shigeo had noticed that she hadn't been using honorifics but he wasn't offended by it as it was obvious that it just occurred to her. Takane suddenly grabbed Garnet's hand and nodded rapidly.

"Yes, yes! Although you can call me by my first name. And remember, when in doubt use san," Takane giggled with a cute wink. Garnet nodded seriously as she tucked the important information in her head. Then she noticed Shigeo. And with her attention leaving Takane and going to him, Takane now noticed him. And with Takane's attention on him the floor was very interesting and his cheeks were hot.

"Hello Shigeo-san. Are you ready to go?" Garnet inquired. Shigeo nodded shakily, trying to pull his eyes off the floor. It was rude to not look at the people you were talking to and he didn't want Takane thinking he was rude on top of thinking he was weird. It was hard but he managed to take his eyes off the floor and turned them slowly but surely towards the two girls.

"Hello Mob-kun. How are you today?" Takane asked, leaning in slightly. Shigeo flushed darker and forced himself to look in her face only to freeze under her gaze. Her eyes… her eyes were so beautiful. They were looking at him, actually looking at him. They sparkled with interest and he was happy.

"Happy? Oh that's good. I'm happy as well. Garnet-chan, would you like the tour now? I know this really nice cafe you'd love!" And just like that her interest was elsewhere and her gaze gone. Shigeo sighed a bit under his breath and started to walk away. He was no longer needed.

"I would love to Takane-chan but I can't. Shigeo-san and I have destiny. Wait for me Shigeo," Garnet called out as she noticed his form retreating. The teenager paused and turned in enough time to see Garnet lean in and kiss Takane. Twice. On both cheeks. Takane appeared just as baffled and a small blush was starting to overtake her face.

"That is how we said goodbye to our friends," Garnet explained then she looked between her new classmates and seemed to notice their expressions. She began to bite on her bottom lip and shift from foot to foot, "I'm sorry. Did I… offend either of you?"

"No!" Takane shouted, waving both her hands frantically and trying to cover up her completely red face, "No no! I um I just was not expecting that and your hair smells really good and your lips are really soft and oh my Gosh I gotta go!"

"I never seen Takane-chan so… flustered," Shigeo was wowed. He was beyond wowed. He's seen boys throw themselves at Takane and she didn't give them the time of day but here she was… running away with a red face. Like he did whenever he saw her surrounded by the vegetables. Well they weren't vegetables but it was too hard for his brain to process other girls and Takane at the same time. He liked her so much.

"I chose wrong. It was silly of me," Garnet rubbed at the back of her head, a half smile on her lips before it turned into a brighter smile, "But she is very kind. We were talking while I waited for you."

Ah yes. Garnet had been waiting for him. She had been in the locker room and then outside. To wait for him. But why? He should ask her. Shigeo turned his head, mouth open only to nearly be knocked out by the picture being shoved in his face. What picture? The hand drawn picture of Reigen-sensei that he actually really liked. He would have to ask Garnet to show it to the brown haired man.

"How did you come about this?" Shigeo asked, taking the paper from her. He didn't need to look to know where he was going as he could sense the people around him and walking to the office was like knowing the back of his hand.

"I drew it from sight. You called him sensei… he's another teacher of yours?" Garnet asked with such interest in her voice. She was looking at him too, he could feel it. Shigeo get a little flutter in his chest and he wondered what it was and why it was happening. He continued to ponder this in silence until something soft and warm wove themselves between his fingers. He looked down and saw that Garnet was holding his hand.

 **Progress towards Mob's explosion: 23%**

His hand and her hand. The first thing he noticed was that the gem in her hand was hard and warm to the touch. Very warm actually. Like it held a small fire in it. But it didn't burn. It was nice. And her hand was so soft and slim in his old. Another nice thing. Their colors also contrasted so very nicely. He wondered if his face was as pink as he thought.

"There you are. You left me there for a second Shigeo-san," Garnet murmured. Shigeo raised his eyes from the hand in his and found himself transfixed on her lips. The same lips that had kissed Takane. Shigeo shook his head again to clear it out. He thought back to what Garnet said and provided an answer to take his mind off whatever it was doing.

"Yes but he's more than that. He teaches me to control my powers and be better as a person. He's very wise." Yes, Reigen-sensei was a good topic. A much better topic than their hands pressing together and their fingers intertwined.

 **Progress towards Mob's explosion: 27%**

"He sounds amazing," Garnet replied and their walk continued in comfortable silence. Because he had spent most of the day with her, Shigeo could say that he was very sure that Garnet was a naturally quiet person. But this was a bit different now because she was humming. It sounded like it would be a lovely song and he suddenly hoped he could hear her sing it. Also something new, Garnet seemed to be in her own world, her shoulder brushing against his as she failed to walk completely straight or a stray rock would trip her up although she did not make a comment on it. She just walked and hummed and held his hand.

Shigeo pulled himself out of his observations and pulled his companion to a stop. They had arrived. Spirits and Such Consulting. Garnet continued to hum to herself and sway just a bit on her feet. Shigeo gave her hand a squeeze and suddenly the girl stopped humming and a shiver raked through her body. If she didn't have those glasses on, Shigeo could imagine her blinking rapidly as she looked back and forth then up at the sign.

"Oh we're here," She noticed.

"Yes. Yeah. We um… we are. And… hands," Shigeo stuttered and his embarrassment skyrocketed. Why was he stuttering? What was wrong with him? Garnet didn't seem to have noticed the hostage in her hand because she dropped his limb like hot fire and bowed at the waist. Shigeo immediately got a face full of hair. Wow. Takane was right. Her hair smelled very good. Like coconuts and flowers and other good things he couldn't describe. And it was soft and he could make out spiral curls here and there.

"I didn't mean to hold your hand for so long. I get… distracted. I am sorry," Garnet came up from her apologetic bow and began to rub at the back of her head again. Shigeo imagined if he had hair like he too would rub at it.

"No need for all that! I didn't mind," Shigeo reassured the embarrassed foreigner. He would go as far as to say he enjoyed it but not out loud. He had a feeling that it wouldn't be well received. Garnet paused and stared at him for a bit, for a long bit. Then she turned on her heel and made a beeline for the door. It was time to go in.

ReggityReiRegennitty

Unlike a lot of people, Reigen had no problems being obvious about his curiosity. He was nose to nose with the girl Mob had brought with him. In his mind Reigen wowed again. A girl. With Mob. He couldn't even believe it. And she didn't seem to be under any influence to come here nor did she seem to care that a someone was violating her personal space. He squinted a bit to see if he could catch a glimpse of her eyes the scooted to the side to try that way. No luck. Who in the world wore such thick glasses? He backed up a little and started to circle her like a predator would its prey. She was a regular teenage school girl by appearance as far as he could tell. Her stance was relaxed and her mood unbothered. He could tell that he would be using those descriptive words very often for this girl.

"Is Shigeo-kun aware that you have no actual psychic power?" The girl finally spoke. Reigen jumped as he had not heard her voice since she stepped into his office moments ago. Mob had introduced them before trotting to the kitchen to make tea. After all you couldn't have guests and not give them tea. Even though they were supposed to be on their way to exorcise a demon.

"Who told you I didn't have psychic powers?" Reigen demanded with his arms folded, "I am the best psychic around to teach young Mob."

"Hm," Garnet hummed. And what was with the name? Garnet. Fyre. Who had such a name? And he didn't even want to concentrate on her hair. Actually he wondered just how soft it was.

Reigen was now behind the girl who didn't seem inclined to follow him with her eyes and it was the perfect chance the dig his hands into that colorful cloud. It was so dense he'd doubt she'd even feel him. With an internal chuckle like a child about to steal a cookie the brown haired man reached forward. He was going to do it. Nice and slow then once it was done he was going to pull away quickly. She'd never-

"I wouldn't do that." the tone was light and casual but when the girl turned her head (at what Reigen was sure was an unnatural angle) the smile on her face was big and sinister and he just knew that her eyes were big and wide and probably full of insanity and probably staring directly into his soul.

Oh shit.

Reigen was now in the kitchen. Casually leaning on the counter close to Mob. The sweat that had been collecting on his brow cooled as he observed the boy. He had already set up the cups with tea bags and additions inside. The plain one was Mob's. The one with maybe a scoop or two had to be Reigen's because there was no way the last cup was his.

"It's practically half sugar," Reigen gaped.

"Garnet-chan said she had a sweet tooth," Mob said as explanation. So it was chan was it? Did… no this couldn't be the girl Mob wanted to improve for. He swore that girl's name was more traditional and definitely not foreign. Then again Reigen didn't exactly always listen when Mob said something boring. And a teenager's live life was very boring to him.

"Speaking of which this Garnet girl… she's pretty odd, right?" Reigen probed. The boy turned his head quickly but it wasn't fast enough to miss the pink dusting on his cheeks. Hm, the first crush (Takane!) might have a bit of competition. Which was not good… for Reigen. It was obvious that Takane was way out of Mob's league and wouldn't look at him at least until after high school or maybe never. But this girl (this Fyre Garnet) was sitting behind the kitchen door and seemed just as weird as Mob was. Which meant that she, despite being very pretty and probably very smart, was probably closer to Mob's league. Which meant that they could get together and that would lead to Reigen most likely losing Mob. Which was not good. For either of them.

"... and she just says she'll do better which I find to be admirable. She's also an esper," Mob continued. Reigen blinked out of his thoughts and fully focused on the young teenager in front of him. Esper? Oh great! They had something incredible in common! Wait!

"She's an esper you say?" Reigen tapped his chin. Weren't they just attacked by a group of espers like last week? It was kinda odd that this girl just popped out of the blue all interested in Mob and with powers.

"Yes. Of course you couldn't tell because she's using some kind of technique. I can't sense it either but I've seen her use her powers. But there is something…" Mob trailed off in thought. Reigen perked up. Something about this strange girl was putting Mob on edge. But what could be it the power psychic on edge?

"What is it?" Spit it out.

"Well she and the other transfer girls have gems. Garnet has two on her hands. It's very… I don't know but when she was holding my hand her gem was warm and… nice." There goes the pink cheeks again. Reigen quickly processed his words and threw out the unimportant bit and latched onto the major detail.

"She held your hand?" Reigen tilted his head and a furrow came to his brow. They met today. What was this girl doing holding a boy's hand? Especially Mob's. That's it. Reigen knew it. That girl was up to no good. She was trouble. And he had to tell Mob as quickly and efficiently as possible. So he grabbed the boy by the shoulders and shook him hard enough to hopefully get that naive brain up and running.

"Mob! Listen to what you said. A pretty foreign girl comes out of nowhere with psychic powers and she's all on you. She's holding your hand and saying things to impress you. I bet she's trying to seduce you into a trap. That weird little redhead is probably a friend of hers. Or she could have been one of those kids from that weird cult place. Mob you have to be more cautious!"

Mob appeared very confused, trying to comprehend exactly what his teacher was saying to him. Garnet was dangerous or trying to bring him harm?

"Shigeo-kun?" The soothing voice of the girl drifted to his ears, "My moms are almost here and I want you to meet them."

"You hear that? Meeting her mom already? Who introduces their parent so early on?" Reigen figured that the girl's Japanese wasn't perfect going by that horrible accent. He turned to the boy who still seemed to be processing what he had been told. And it looked like he wasn't coming to the same conclusion just yet.

 **Progress towards Mob's explosion: 28%**

"Here I come," Mob called back. Reigen frowned a bit but decided not to stop the boy. If he pushed too hard… well, he didn't think Mob would leave him but it might make him start to second guess him. Then again Mob wasn't that socially bright so he wouldn't know who or how he was being manipulated. Not that Reigen was manipulating him into the wrong thing. He only wanted to protect Mob and that meant guiding and pushing him in the right direction. And the right direction was very, very far away from that strange girl.

Shigeo walked behind Garnet with purposeful steps, his mind in a whirlwind. He couldn't take his eyes off of the bouncing cloud of hair as his heart kept doing a weird, painful pattern. Reigen would never lie to him. He would never lead him wrong but Garnet… then again he had just only met her. They had only spent one day together and all these weird things were happening to him around her. Was she using her powers on him? He had allowed her into his mind when they were speaking Mind Speak. But she said that wasn't reading his mind, he had to project back to her. But she could have been lying. She didn't seem the one to lie though. She was so honest with everything she did and she didn't make excuses. She was so nice but was she too nice? Her light shone almost as brightly as Takane's and yet she had no problem being with him all day. Was-

An icy chill went up Shigeo's arm through his hand and he looked down to see Garnet holding his hand again. Why was her hand so cold now? He felt the gem on her hand and it was like a block of ice. It wasn't the worse thing he ever felt but nothing like the warmth she displayed earlier. And her smile was it a real smile or one to trick him? Shigeo never got an answer because the girl took one look at his face and immediately the bouncy excitement was gone and replaced with still seriousness.

"Shigeo… are you alright?" She tilted her head curiously. Shigeo shook his head to clear it. Reigen was being paranoid. Garnet wasn't going to use him for anything. She didn't care about her own power much less his.

"Yes… which one is your mom?" Shigeo looked over the girl's shoulder. There were two women standing a few meters away. They were both short and had skin as brown as Garnet's. One had hair as thick and gravity defying as Garnet's but hers was a dark brown and pushed out of her eyes with a headband. Her arms and legs were muscular and being shown off due to her lack of sleeves and love of shorts. As they neared he noticed that her eyes were colored red. Huh, foreigners were odd. He turned his attention to the other woman and immediately noticed the long, straight blue hair that traveled down her back and covered her eyes. It was the same soft shade of blue Garnet had in her own hair. Unlike the other woman she wore a long, dark blue dress that was fluffy at the end.

Shigeo found himself confused now. They both looked like Garnet. The blue haired one shared Garnet's lips and chin while the red eyed one shared her nose and hair. But they were both women. Only one could be her mom, right? Wrong!

"Oh, both. This is Ruby Fyre," Garnet gestured to the red eyed woman. She immediately stepped forward and grabbed Shigeo's hand out of Garnet's and into her own. The first thing he noticed was the gem on Ms. Fyre's hand was very hot. Hot enough to burn through his single layer shield and cause him to pull his hand back almost immediately.

"Nice to meet you kid! This is my wife, Sapphire Fyre," Ruby declared with such pride in her voice it was like there was nothing else she would rather say. Sapphire. Ruby. Garnet. Amethyst. Pearl. Hm. Was it just Shigeo or were all foreigners named after jewelry? He turned to the other woman and held out his hand only for her to keep hers folded in front of him and give a short, proper bow.

"It is my pleasure to meet you. Thank you for befriending our daughter," Mrs. Fyre murmured. The red eyed Mrs. Fyre laughed loudly and gave Shigeo a little shake not unlike the one Reigen had given him but a moment ago.

"You two better keep it at befriending! I don't want to have to give you The Big Talk young man," she elbowed him. Garnet immediately began to sputter and wave her arms in embarrassment.

"Mooooooooom! Don't say things like that!" Garnet wailed, shoving herself between her mother and Shigeo. Wow. This was the first time he seen her truly flustered and shocked. Mrs. Ruby Fyre only laughed more and caught her daughter in a tight hug, lifting the girl into the air and giving her a twirl.

"Why not? Anyone would want to date my cotton candy fluff!" Mrs. Ruby Fyre gushed, making kissing noises at the struggling girl, "Oh I remember when you were just a baby and you loved cotton candy so much. It would get in your hair, your face-you even got it in your diaper! We had to wash you up quickly to stop you from still eating it."

"Oh my… mama. Mama. I have died of embarrassment. Just… just carry me home mama. There is nothing else you can do. Sorry I can't stay Shigeo-kun. My mothers will send funereal details. Goodbye," Garnet sighed in defeat, going limp in her mother's arms. The woman crowed in victory and began to smother her daughter's face in kisses much as Garnet had done to Amethyst at school. But Garnet had given up completely and allowed not only the attack but allowed herself to be carried off. Shigeo blinked. There was that feeling again. The warmth that radiated from Garnet that was something he knew but couldn't put a finger on. It came off Mrs. Ruby Fyre like waves and surrounded everything in a comfortable blanket.

As they began to get further away the warmth was replaced by something cold and unforgiving. It seemed into his bones and filled his heart. He wanted to wrap his shields around himself like a blanket but he didn't work like that. He looked back to Mrs. Ruby Fyre and Garbet. They had made it quite the distance and didn't seem to be affected by this cold and Mrs. Sapphire Fyre was…

"You will stay away from her," a chilling voice growled in his ear. Shigeo stifled a yelp and whirled around to see Mrs. Sapphire Fyre right next to him but taller, much taller than him. The short woman was off the ground, levitating gracefully but the anger that twisted her face was anything but graceful. It was harsh and mean. It caused Shigeo's insides to freeze and his protection to come up. But she was not interested in harming him physically.

"You will not speak to my daughter. You will not be around her. You will not hurt her. I know what you are capable of. I know the things in your heart. The evil inside you is ugly and you will keep it away from Garnet," Mrs. Sapphire Fyre pressed close enough to be nose to nose with him, her bangs separating to reveal her eyes. Eye. A eye so icy and blue and an empty hole. Shigeo felt real terror claw at his throat.

"If you come near her again. I. Will. End. You."

Then she was gone.

 **Progress towards Mob's explosion: 35%**

End

And there it is. Second chapter. Just for you my follower. You are my precious duckling right now. And everyone who reads it but follower person you higher up in my heart. Speaking of hearts oh man these characters that I don't own are doing things, aren't they! See y'all next week... maybe. Maybe a little longer, maybe a little shorter. Who knows the future? Garnet but she's fictional and not mine.


	3. Chapter 3

Garnet shifted in her mama's arms until she was in a more comfortable position but most positions were good positions. Her mama was like a big toasty oven that Garnet found to be just right. She loved being close to her mama, felt as though she could sink right into her and never leave. Dark, unwanted thoughts clawed at the back of her mind, reminding her quite nastily that only a year ago she had been deprived of it. She had been in the clutches of the Diamonds and broken and put back together over and over-

"Hey kiddo," the dark skinned woman jostled her roughly to bring her back to the present, "Don't you go back to that place."

Garnet was abruptly aware of how wet her cheeks were and carefully rubbed under her lenses but as she lowered them she was suddenly hit with a feeling of wrong. Where was her mom? Before she could open her mouth, a small chill swept over them cause her mama to shiver abruptly and clutch her just a bit tighter.

"I'm right here dear," Sapphire answered her unasked question and she was there. She was gliding gracefully just a bit behind them but Garnet was sure she wasn't there before. Actually she was very sure she hadn't been there. Garnet felt a little gnaw of something at the back of her head like she knew something.

"Where were you?"Garnet tilted her head, casually smacking her mama in the face with her fluffy afro.

"I got caught up in a vision. Such a lovely one with sun and flowers. A statue of a beautiful woman with many arms and flowing hair," Sapphire smiled gently but her gentle smile was like a full cheese on anyone else. She flew beside them and peppered Garnet's face with kisses before pulling back. "I missed you. How was school?"

"Do you mean Bean Sauce or Salt?" Garnet shot back as though she had been waiting to say that for hours (she had) and it paid off as her mom ducked her head to hide her embarrassment. While the adults had found the situation tedious, the girls had laughed and made jokes the entire walk to the right middle school. And they saw some of the city during their walk as well so it wasn't bad at all. But her mom didn't know that.

"The buildings look the same!" Her mom protested, crossing her arms in a huff.

"That's the last time Rose will let you carpool," Ruby teased, turning her head to place a light kiss on her wife's lips. Sapphire snatched her head away with a tongue click and flew ahead of them before landing delicately and storming off. Well, she wasn't really storming off. It was more that she was walking slightly faster than normal. Garnet definitely knew how this was going to unfold so she held tight to her mama's neck and laughed joyously as her mama suddenly took off after her wife. Her mom must have had the same vision for she took off as well and so the race began!

GarnityGarnGar

Dinner was burnt. It usually was when her mama cooked. It was as though her pyrokinetic powers couldn't be contained to just her and leaked into everything. But Garnet didn't mind. She always ate her food with gusto as though it was the best thing she ever had. And it was. She loved the food. She loved her mothers. She was just filled to the brim with all these emotions that she knew she needed to control and bury like her mom but couldn't help but to express like her mama.

"Okay, okay. The food is on our plates. What you gotta say, kiddo?" Ruby finally said. Like a starting pistol, Garnet was off. She could barely hear the words coming out of her own mouth but she needed to get everything out. She needed to say everything that happened and how she felt every second of the day. She was embarrassed as she picked the wrong path more than once ("Mom! I kissed Takane because in one future she asked about gestures but it was the wrong future and I kissed her and oh it was so embarrassing!") and how excited she was to work out with the boys in Body Improvement Club. She complained about her bad accent ("I've been looking so hard that I haven't had time to focus on fixing it") but praised herself on understanding and catching on quickly in her classes. She spoke of the brief encounter she had with Amethyst and Pearl and the not brief enough encounter she had with Reigen. And of course that brought her to Shigeo. Who she had purposely saved for last. She couldn't start with him because she already saw all the paths in which starting with him lead to her never getting to anything else. And she wanted to relay her entire day.

"Shigeo is… when I looked at him all I felt was warmth, filling me and surrounding me. It was so… nice. And then I started to see things, bits and pieces of beautiful places and people and… mom?" Garnet frowned and turned her eyes to her mom who was obviously livid. Although she still looked the same and had not stopped eating the temperature dropped so harshly it stole Garnet's breath.

"Sapphy, whatcha doing? You're gonna make the food cold," Ruby complained, placing her arms around her own plate to salvage it. Almost as soon as the words left her mama's mouth, Garnet felt herself sucked into the most likely future.

" _You are not allowed to see that boy," her mom spoke in a calm and even tone. It was a tone Garnet herself adopted often enough. Garnet felt her world fall from out of her as she stared at the woman. Why would she say that? Didn't she hear what she just said about Shigeo?_

" _Ha, ha. Stop messing around Sapphy and turn up the temp," her mama chuckled. But Sapphire wasn't messing around. She was serious. Garnet frowned and crossed her arms over her chest._

" _You can't stop me from seeing him," she shrugged._

" _I can. I will," Sapphire replied with a similar shrug. Garnet opened her mouth and then realized there were many things her mom could do. She could switch her school, switch her classes, get her and drop her off. She could constantly monitor every movement she made every day._

" _Why can't I see him?! Why are you doing this to me?" Garnet demanded, the anger she felt rocketing in her and exploding all in the same moment. Their plates lifted from the table and their chairs from the ground. The temperature that tried to freeze them suddenly skyrocketed._

" _Because he is a monster! I've seen what sort of path lays before him and it is nothing but destruction and mayhem. He will do nothing but hurt you!"_

" _Hurt me?! So you think you can protect me? You?! The one who let those monsters take me right out of your arms?!" Garnet spat. The chairs and plates clattered down as the teen girl realized what she had said and the effect it had on her moms. They looked like she had slapped them both._

" _Garnet, why would you say that? We did not let them take you and you know that!" Ruby half whispered and half screamed. Garnet did know that. She knew that they would never just abandon her but that didn't stop the anger and hurt she felt every day. She pushed those feelings down or directed them to something else because she couldn't talk about her time with those monsters. And her moms never pushed her to. Instead they all focused in positive feelings of love and relief of being back together. But now she was exploding and wanted to go in this direction. This direction that would explain what has been plaguing her every day for a year. Every night that made their home shake at the foundation. Every afternoon when accidental fires would jump from her fingers. Every time she jumped hard enough to trip herself._

" _Do I know mama? Because I remember it differently. I remember telling you, begging you to move our location. I remember visions of being captured, of being strapped down and stabbed and prodded and played with. I remember you both thinking it was just nightmares because mom couldn't see any danger ahead. But I saw it. I saw it and I told you and you both just… you let them get me," Garnet's lips trembled._

Garnet sucked in a breath as she abruptly started on another path.

" _You are not allowed to see that boy," her mom spoke in a calm and even tone. It was a tone Garnet herself adopted often enough. Garnet felt her world fall from out of her as she stared at the woman. Why would she say that? Didn't she hear what she just said about Shigeo?_

" _Ha, ha. Stop messing around Sapphy and turn up the temp," her mama chuckled. But Sapphire wasn't messing around. She was serious. Garnet frowned and crossed her arms over her chest._

" _I am not messing around Ruby. I saw the monster that he is holding inside him. It is capable of such destruction. I saw Garnet, at his feet covered in bruises and blood. She wasn't breathing," Sapphire swallowed hard as she relayed her vision._

" _You're wrong," Garnet frowned, "Shigeo is good. He's considerate. I've seen it with my own eyes. He does nothing but help us-help me."_

" _You have too much faith much too soon in his boy. You are too young to control your Sight," Sapphire insisted._

" _I cannot control my Sight? Me? I see things all the time Mom! I see things where you cannot. I saw darkness and pain while you saw sunflowers and sun!" Garnet shouted, pushing up from her chair. She held up both her hands and faced the large red gems toward her mothers. "Did you see this mom? Did you see them strap me down and… and… did you see them shove these into me? Did you see me scream and cry?"_

" _Garnet that is enough!" Ruby shouted, standing up hard enough to throw back her seat._

" _I don't think it is mama! What's your excuse? Mom was blinded by her visions of failure but why didn't you save me mama? You know I screamed out for you? I told them every single day that my mama was coming for me. I told Pink Diamond right to her face that she couldn't keep me because my mama loved me so, so much. Every day I said that to different monsters. For five years."_

" _Garnet…" Her mom's voice cracked with emotion. But she didn't care. Five years she was in that place. Five years they abused and used her. Citrines stabbed her with needles and made her do tests. Jades forced her to have vision after vision until she thought she would go blind. And the ones who bore the real cost of her visions were friends and comrades of her family. And she killed them. She killed them when she searched for their hideouts and revealed their most likely location. She killed them when she laid out the most likely battle plan and the second most likely and then the next until they were so prepared the enemy didn't stand a chance. But she never gave up her family. She made sure to always, always find something better. So many captured and turned and tortured. Garnet felt the vomit burn her insides and rush up her throat-_

Garnet was sure that she was gasping as she yanked herself out of that path. No, no. She didn't want to talk about that! She-

" _You are not allowed to see that boy-because I said so," her mom stated with a hard edge to her voice. It wasn't often that she used that voice. Garnet opened her mouth to speak but was cut off. This time when her mom spoke it was in a gentle, firm voice that hid the emotion that so desperately wanted to come out, "I've seen terrible things come from that boy and I… I can't lose you again Garnet."_

" _Sapphire…" her mama reached out to her wife._

" _Shigeo would never hurt me, mom. I've seen only good things coming from him," Garnet argued passionately. Her mom couldn't do this to her. Sapphire suddenly slammed her hand on the table and if it had been cold before, it was practically freezing now._

" _I will not lose you again Garnet. You will stay away from that boy or you will be locked inside this house. Choose. Wisely." Sapphire hovered over the table like a wrathful goddess. Her hair whipped around with a mysterious wind and the air began to turn into bits of ice. Garnet looked up at her mom, anger building in her chest. The anger was so hot she could feel the steam leaving her shoulders. But she could feel the betrayal like a icy knife in her chest. Her mom would lock her away. She would put her back in the dark. Was she any different than those monsters who took her away?_

" _Okay you two… it's time to calm down," her mama stood as well with her hands out. Garnet felt herself deflate. Of course her mom was different from those monsters. She just wanted to protect her. Whatever she saw in her vision of Shigeo must have been horrible. It must have scared her so badly. So she shouldn't see him. She would simply avoid the boy and continue with her life._

" _Okay." She murmured and then sat back down. It was like nothing ever happened. She ate her food until it was gone, she kissed her mothers goodnight and she tied her hair up for bed. She slept and the next morning she did not speak to Shigeo. She sat at a different desk and paid attention to her lectures. She swatted away any communication he attempted to open and ignored anything he had to say. That would continue on day after day, week after week until Shigeo just… stopped._

Garnet was sure that this was the worst version. She was sure that the tears that flowed down her face as she willingly threw herself down a different path. Any path was better than the one where she balled all her feelings inside and let them wither. Any path was better than lying to herself to make anyone happy. She was better than-

" _Mom, stop it!" Garnet cried out. She was clutching her head as the strain to find the right path caused a headache that was nearly blinding. Her outburst must have startled her mom because the room wasn't cold anymore and she wasn't squeezing her fork with a death grip._

" _You-"_

" _No. Don't say it. I don't want to live through talking about that. I don't!" Garnet slammed her hands on the table and she was up. She was up and running from the room and then from the house. She ignored the calls of her mothers and then there was a bright light blinding her and a horn deafening her and then pain as she failed to put up a barrier._

Garnet gasped and blinked back into the actual present. Everything hurt. But she hadn't moved, time hadn't moved. Her mama was still looking expectantly at her mom and her mom was still preparing to say those words Garnet did not want to hear. No, no! She didn't like those futures. She didn't like the ones that were still playing in her head as she pushed out of her seat. She hated this curse. She hated seeing these things!

"SHUT UP!" Garnet screeched. She slapped her hands over her ears and ran from the room and then from the house. She carefully avoided the road, vaguely hearing a car go by as she dashed down the street. She wasn't sure if either of her parents were following her but she didn't care. She was running, running as fast as she could. So fast she was sure that she was nothing but a blur to the naked eye and she was really fast to the psychic eye. She ran until she was tired, until her visions showed nothing but peace and quiet, until she was leaning against a large tree and panting to catch her breath.

Garnet fell onto her bottom and pulled her knees close to her chest. This wasn't the first time that this has happened. It wasn't like they hadn't banned her from doing something or said no to her before. And each time she argued back, her time in capture came up. Because she was horrible person. Any bout of anger towards her parents brought those memories back up, brought them to her lips and had her spewing hateful words. Of course she never actually said them, she never wanted to hurt the people she loved.

Garnet was pulled from her thoughts by an almost silent rustle. She was being watched and she had one good guess on who it could be. Well two whos. Garnet wiped her face clean until she was more presentable then focused her gaze in the direction of her stalkers.

"I know that you're there," she murmured. As she had guessed, Pearl and Amethyst stepped from the trees. Garnet put on a shaky smile and gave the girls a half wave, "Hello."

"Oh hey G-man. You know Pearl and I were walking in the neighborhood and we just so happened to see you! Toooootally didn't track you here after Ruby and Sapphire called and explained what happened," Amethyst smiled brightly and threw herself at the other girl, trusting and believing that Garnet would catch her. And she did. And Garnet had promised that she always would. Garnet pulled the girl close, so very close to her until she was sure that the other couldn't possibly be comfortable. Amethyst didn't mind because she understood her and knew that all she needed to do was wrap her limbs as much as possible around her friend and project as much calming energy as she could.

"I'm…. I should go and tell everyone that you're okay," Pearl spoke up suddenly. Garnet's head shot up and she was yanking Pearl into their embrace with nothing more than a thought. The Indian girl let out a loud squeak but made no protest as arms wrapped around her and help her in place.

"Don't go," Garnet murmured into the other's hair.

"But… uh… are you sure?" Pearl asked in a small voice. Garnet nodded and allowed the presence of Amethyst and Pearl to soak into her very essence. They sat like that for a long time-long enough for their limbs to fall asleep and their eyes to grow heavy. But they stayed in their same position.

"G…" Amethyst spoke up. Garnet stirred a bit to let Amethyst know she was listening even though she didn't feel like speaking.

"G, you can't keep doing this. You haven't said anything about what happened to you. Not one word. And… well, I think you should. It's hurting you not to talk about it. It's making you run out in the middle of the night and cry under trees. And that just don't seem healthy home girl."

"Amethyst!" Pearl gasped, blinking the sleep out of her eyes. She had started to doze sometime in their hug session but now she was fully awake, "Garnet will talk about it when she's ready to!"

"Well that don't seem to be any time soon! How many times are her nightmares going to bring down the house? How many times will she stop breathing because she caught a glimpse of one of those sick fucks in a vision?! How many times are we going to watch her cry alone and pretend to not see it?!"

"Oh…" Garnet felt like something had cracked just a little bit inside her. Amethyst was right but how could she talk about what happened to her? So many emotions ran through her anytime she thought about that time. She had been so… angry down there. Angry that she had been captured. Angry that they would hurt her. Angry that they would use her. She had… hurt several people with that anger. But it wasn't just anger that filled her. It was pain from the experiments. It was sadness. It was terror. Oh, oh God she had been so scared down there. She would curl herself into the nearest corner whenever they would come. It was disgust. Disgust at herself, at them… at her parents.

"G… you okay?"

Yes, she'd been there for so long that she resented the two people who loved her more than anything. She felt hot betrayal in her stomach almost every day. She felt it whenever they tore into her mind, whenever they'd force her to concentrate on a certain path, whenever they'd talk at her.

"Garnet…?"

She blamed them both. And that wasn't fair. Garnet knew that wasn't fair. She knew but that didn't matter. It didn't change how she felt. She was such a terrible person. Her moms tried their very best to save her. Her mom lost her eye trying to save her and all Garnet could do was blame them when it was her own fault. It was her fault. Everything was her fault always because she was too stoic, too hot headed, too reckless, too future focused. She ruined everything just by knowing about it.

Garnet upended Amethyst and Pearl as she jumped to her feet. Visions burst forward but she swatted them as away as she could and started to leave. She had to go. She had to… to do something. Anything.

"Garnet?! Where are you-?" Pearl didn't get to finish her sentence because Garnet was already gone. It was like she was never there to begin with. Pearl leaned back against the tree and stared in the direction Garnet might have taken off.

"I… uh… wow. I think I might have screwed up right there," Amethyst sighed. Pearl took one look at her sister's face and pulled back whatever her original comment was going to be. She knew that it wasn't what Amethyst needed to hear. Amethyst talked freely about her time in Homeworld Kindergarten-no matter how horrible the detail and she seemed better of because of it. Unlike Garnet. And that… it was a problem and it was great that Amethyst addressed it. Pearl took a deep breath and stood up, helping her little sister to her feet.

"Garnet will be fine. You were right to say what you did," Pearl smiled wearily. Amethyst returned her smile but it wasn't genuine or worry free.

"Thanks, P. Let's get some sleep before school."

END

Sorry I'm like super late but I was working on this other story that came to mind. Also I don't own anything. Also also dun dun duuuunnnnn. Where did Garnet go? We'll find out together! Next time on this fic (in case I find a better title)!


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

It was well established to Shigeo that he was not a good person. There wasn't a day that went by that the intrusive thoughts of just what sort of monster he was didn't take over and cause a panic attack that left him gasping for breath and wiping away hot tears. He was so sure of his lack of goodness that he purposely buried his feelings as deep as possible so as to take away the possibility of him hurting someone due to a passing emotion. He was very aware of the damage he could cause and yet…

Shigeo blinked against the hot feeling behind his eyes. What Mrs. Sapphire Fyre had said hurt. It hurt a lot. He never thought anyone could see the darkness inside him. He never thought anyone could see beyond the shell that housed great evil. To be exposed by his friend's mom just like that… to know that she saw his monster and just knew that it would hurt her daughter, hurt Garnet made the tears burn against the back of his eyes once more. This time he allowed a few to fall and wallowed in the tiny puddle of sadness he couldn't help but feel. The toothbrushes drooped like wilting flowers.

What was he going to do? Should he listen to Mrs. Sapphire Fyre? If so that meant he would just stop talking to Garnet. He wouldn't even be able to explain why and even if he could Shigeo was certain that he shouldn't. Mrs. Sapphire Fyre was just doing what any parent would do and that's protect their kid. Garnet was her kid. Maybe he could talk to both Mrs. Fyres and explain something that Mrs. Sapphire Fyre couldn't possibly know: he was working on himself. Every day when those intrusive thoughts came, there were other thoughts that reminded him of the steps he took forward and the improvements he made everyday. As time passed, he gained more control over his powers and soon he wouldn't need to be scared of himself constantly. He just needed a little more time...

Something green jetted pass in the mirror. Of course it was Dimple because there was no one else who was a floating green orb. It was just odd to see him in the bathroom mirror seeing as he very, very rarely came inside without his okay. Maybe it was because he knew Shigeo had no qualms of exorcising him if he crossed the line or maybe because he was a polite ghost.

"Heyyyy kiddo. Sorry I've been MIA for so long but there's been traffic in the spirit world I had to stick my nose in. A lot of fuss going around but it's worth it for the sweet deals," Dimple smiled but it was a bit weary around the edges and he seemed to melt into the toilet seat

"Fuss?" Shigeo was only too happy to let something distract him from his thoughts. Dimple hummed under his breath and tiredly floated to the window sill for his resting place.

"Yeah. Those damn Diamonds are on the hunt _again_. You would think they would just give up but they're persistent. Two centuries persistent. I guess it's an alien thing," Dimple complained then he did that hum again, "But the rebels are my favorite target. Having them in your debt is a big deal. A huge deal. They always come through unlike the those damn Diamonds."

"Alien thing?" Shigeo found himself only able to concentrate on one detail. The other parts of his statement sounded very context heavy and detail oriented. For some reason, he just highly doubted that he would be interested in the history behind any of that or that it would affect him as it seemed to be an otherworldly thing.

"Yeah. From some secret planet that got destroyed a real long time ago or so the rumors go," Dimple waved a bored hand. Huh. Shigeo blinked as he processed that information. Aliens were real. It was amazing enough that there were spirits and such all around them and in a hidden plane but to think that other living beings not only existed but turned into ghosts as well… Shigeo was highly impressed. He would have to tell Tome-san.

" _Shi…ge...o."_

The teenager froze as a weak voice brushed across his mind. It was mind talk like Garnet did. Was… was it Garnet? Shigeo felt his stomach tighten at the thought that Garnet sounded so weak and far away. Was she hurt? Was she stuck somewhere? Oh no. Shigeo hoped her parents hadn't locked her away to make sure they never spoke again.

" _Shige… o… nii-san_." the tightness in his stomach abruptly disappeared and the breath he hadn't realized he was holding was released. It was Ritsu. Just like that understanding came to Shigeo. Ritsu was trying to connect with him but as it was something neither of them was familiar with, it made him sound as though he were extremely far away. He latched onto his younger brother's presence and poured as much warmth in his voice as he could manage before he answered him.

" _Good morning Ritsu. How are you feeling?"_

" _I found you with my mind! Amethyst-kun was right!"_ He could imagine Ritsu punching the air at his success. Or perhaps it was something much more calm like giving a small smile that oozed with pride. Ritsu had become a bit more calming person since their incident with those crazy scarred people or maybe he had always been that way.

" _So you two have become friends?"_ Shigeo inquired. He wondered if he should tell his brother about what had happened between Garnet's mother and himself. He hadn't mentioned it the other night because it was still swirling around his mind and it had taken everything he had to not lift all the furniture although he had twisted up all the utensils much to their mother's dismay. Of course Ritsu had fixed them even after he did it another three times. Something went through his link, something warm that heated his cheeks and caused him to squirm. Oh, Ritsu was feeling embarrassed. But why?

" _Uh… yes. She's actually pretty cool,"_ Ritsu admitted after a few moments of silence, " _And she um. Yes. She's cool."_

Shigeo was sure he wouldn't be able to figure out what was causing such a feeling in his brother or the odd way he had answered but he didn't have time anyway. Stewing on his huge predicament had put him back time wise and now he was going to have to put energy into getting ready if he didn't want to drag Ritsu down with him. They made it a point to walk to school together no matter what. They had slipped back on this tradition but their fight and the fights that had followed directly after reminded them to restart.

" _Sorry to rush you but I invited Amethyst and her sisters to join our walk. Amethyst says that they are close,"_ Ritsu suddenly stated. Shigeo paused with his shirt of his head, supplies floating into his bag and shoes sliding across the floor. Was it possible that Garnet would be there? Had she somehow convinced her mom to let them continue their new friendship? A small smile began on Shigeo's lips as he yanked down his clothes and stepped into his shoes. He snatched up his bag, supplies chasing him as he rushed downstairs. He stopped just short of running into his younger brother and smiled at him.

"That was fast," Ritsu noted. Shigeo nodded and zipped up his bag as his pencils finally caught up. Ritsu suddenly cocked his head to the side as though he were listening to something before he smiled and strode to the door, opening it just as a chubby hand raised to knock.

"Hey hombre! You should have let me be polite and knock!" Amethyst frowned in a way that Shigeo was very, very sure meant to be a joke. After all, she had puffed her cheeks out ridiculously. Ritsu dug into his bag and carefully pulled out the stick of dango their mom had made last night for dessert. The girl squealed happily and snatched it. She wasted no time devouring the little balls. The two began to chat in a way that was disjointed like half of their sentences were missing but they seemed to understand and enjoy whatever they were talking about. Shigeo paid them no mind and, instead, searched for Garnet. It took but a second for his hopes to be dashed. It was just Amethyst and Pearl. Oh yes, he was being rude to the silent girl.

"Hello Pearl-san," he greeted politely. The girl gave him a stiff smile and something in her blue eyes caught his attention. "Where is Garnet-kun?"

"Oh," Pearl seemed to deflate just a bit before straightening just as quickly, "It seems that she doesn't feel well enough to come to school today."

Not for the first time did Shigeo regret not being able to read people and faces. Was Pearl lying to him because Mrs. Sapphire Fyre told her to or was that weird twist of her face because she was concerned for the other girl because she truly had fallen ill? Shigeo really really wanted to ask, to confirm which of his theories were the right one but Amethyst and Ritsu were ready to go, pushing and pulling at the two older teens. Shigeo sighed and just really, really hoped everything was fine with Garnet.

Everything was fine with Garnet. Or at least as fine as she had predicted. The teenager sat atop a grassy hill, legs pulled tight to her chest and chin resting on her knees. Shouts and screams from scientists and guards filled the air but it was nothing compared to the roaring fire that was rapidly consuming the rather large building. Garnet idly brushed a hand through the grass blades, feeling her gems quiver. It wasn't often that she used her abilities beyond clairvoyance and some telekinesis but she obviously hadn't lost her touch.

Speaking of which those bombs Bismuth had given her should be… BOOM! The building erupted, coming down like a pyramid of cards. At least one hundred gems would be turned into useless shards, subjects who had yet to be turned were carefully set free and released to Snowflake and with that explosion the building and all its technology had been destroyed. Garnet had purposely set fires and released a mental scream that there were bombs to lower the casualties to zero because, while their enemy were murderers, they were not. It was a theory that Garnet sometimes had problems fully supporting. She had seen so many with their physical bodies destroyed and their lives taken, so many who just wanted their freedom only to receive a merciless death and their gem torn from their bodies and placed in another because flesh was just a replaceable shell to the Diamonds. Garnet shook the dark thoughts before they could anger her and climbed to her feet. She needed to get back to Japan before—

" _You did well kid," a chillingly familiar voice chuckled. Garnet whirled around and there she was, leaning against a tree with her short, thin body wrapped in a simple pink dress. Garnet felt cold, so cold. The dark, dark eyes of this monster in the guise of a fragile body bore into her own. She was reaching, reaching into her mind in search of answers or to plant—(no! This was a vision). One of many paths that lead to many endings. This monster could not see her, could not touch her and definitely could not break her._

" _You really are a true work of art, are you not?" The monster continued, "A Ruby soldier and a royal Sapphire. Fire and ice coexisting so well. So much potential."_

" _Potential to defeat you," Garnet glared, gesturing to the wreckage behind her. Dark eyes finally left her to gaze at the mess she had caused. This was a major kindergarten base in Canada, a place to make more gems like her moms and sisters._

" _Yes my One of a Kind. You did a splendid job but is it enough? How many kindergartens do we have, where are they scattered throughout the world? How fast can we rebuild? How many gems do we have left?" With each question the pale monster grew closer and closer even as Garnet moved back. Before Garnet could react a hand gripped her face and squeezed until sharp fingernails caused a small but audible crack in her shields._

" _How long can you hide until I find you again little one? How many of your friends will I have to slaughter to drag you back?" Looking into the dark eyes, falling into them and seeing. Seeing the people who had tried to save her, friends she had made step between her and the monster before them. Seeing their body parts come undone like it was nothing. Seeing—it wasn't real! Garnet bit down harshly on her tongue. None of that was real. She never had friends outside of Amethyst and Pearl and Shigeo._

" _You cannot trick me like that anymore. I see you," Garnet smirked. She wrapped her ruby hand around the other's wrist and hot lava erupted from her hand. It was so very, very hot. Hot enough for it to eat through the top layer of this powerful beings shield. Hot enough to have the other release her and stumble back just a foot but it was enough. It was more than enough. Garnet ran as fast as she could, back to the portal and through another and another and another until she was in Australia then another ten until she was very far from home but definitely in Japan._

Pink Diamond felt her. She felt the one who had gotten away, her useful little girl. The one who hadn't died when taking two gems into her frail human body, who had thrived even after she had been broken. Oh, such a powerful little mistake. She stepped beyond the trees where the spirit world portal had released her. And then she saw her. Even though it had been four years and her back was towards her, her little one still looked the same. Even though she had grown taller and more confident she was still the scared fireball she had loved so much. So beautiful. Pink Diamond very much liked what she had done with her hair. Well she liked that she had hair. Unfortunately her subjects weren't well versed on her texture and, truth be told, they didn't very much care to be versed so the little girl was often bald but now look at it.

"You did well kiddo," she murmured and she meant it. Her unique one had managed to destroy many of their gems while not killing anyone and saving some hosts. It was impressive. The girl whirled around with the grace of a panther. Look at her. Even behind those glasses Pink Diamond could see the bicolor eyes so sensitive to light. They were hard with anger and hatred and fear but there was a glint. A glint of confidence, of hope. Well, once she took her back to be reconditioned that would be gone and replaced by something more tasteful. She would personally work on her to make it so.

"Goodbye," Her unique one hissed then she was gone. Pink Diamond whistled. That speed was impressive and new. She wondered if it was a match for her sister's. The woman laughed and shook her head. It would be best to not let the others know she had let the rebel go. They wouldn't understand that some things take time.

Shhhhiiggggeeeooooooo!

School had been more than a little uneventful. He had done well on his last math quiz, well enough to show his mother that he was improving, and the Telepathy club had been reestablished and he had lost consciousness only two meters from his goal. But there were no lessons with Reigen-sensei and the walk home was a bit lonely because his little brother had made plans with Amethyst. Well that was a positive. It really seemed that those two were getting along. Shigeo sighed as he unlocked his front door and kicked off his shoes. There was no one to greet as his mom had a meeting and his dad was off food shopping as they had both explained earlier. There was nothing for him to do except his homework and maybe…

"Hello Shigeo-kun." There, sitting on his window sill with a smile on her face and five long braids pulling her hair back, was Garnet. She held out her hand, her gem shining so unnatural and bright. He had no choice but to take it.

"Where are we going?" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper. She laced her fingers in his, sending a chill down his spine. But it was a good spine chill, a strangely good spine chill that distracted him from the fact that they were falling, falling, falling. He could only stare into her glasses and he thought, just maybe he could make out her eyes. They were beautiful.

 **Progression towards Mob's explosion: 39%**

"I want to tell you a story," Garnet had taken them somewhere… odd. The space seemed to be never ending and a soft blue. Everything was this soft blue color except for them and the white butterflies. He supposed that what was giving him the odd feeling. They seemed almost hostile as they fluttered erratically, sometimes forming hordes and then scattering or covering a part of Garnet's body like an eagle descending onto food. The girl would flinch and swat at them until they left her alone and formed more clouds and repeated the cycle. Shigeo reached out and attempted a small shield to help her but nothing happened. In fact… he didn't even feel himself here.

"Where are we?" It felt odd to exist but somehow not. Not in a bad way but not in a good way. He looked down at the hand still intertwined with his own and realized that this was the realest thing in this strange place.

"Our bodies are in my room," Garnet hummed, "this is the inside of my mind. Do you like it?"

"It's so empty," Shigeo noted. Then blushed as he heard what he had said. A peek at Garnet revealed that she wasn't upset. In fact she was smiling at him.

"Purposely. I clear my mind of distractions… for the most part," she shook off more butterflies. Shigeo held out his free hand and brushed his fingers against one, just one and tears sprang to his eyes and utter despair descended upon him. He wanted his moms so badly! Mommy! Please, please save me! Save me mama! I want to go home! Garnet swatted his hand away and it was over.

"W-what was that?" Shigeo wiped hard at the tears that were his but weren't.

"I want to tell you a story," the brown girl repeated.

 _Long ago, there were four powerful psychics who called themselves the Diamond Authority. They spent centuries conquering planet after planet, absorbing latent power from the land and taking the bodies of the organic beings as a way to grow their court. Soon, they arrived to a very odd planet. It was mostly covered in water yet the bipedal, intelligent beings didn't have gills. They willingly lived in extreme conditions that were unsuited for their frail bodies, they had a pack mentality even with creatures that were not the same as them but, most importantly, there were those who would not submit to being taken. Instead, they gained the same powers as themselves and the knowledge of those within the gems. One such person rose up against these conquers and began to fight them. She quickly gained allies, not just with her fellow awakened gems but with organic life and spirits as well. Due to their arrogance, the war turned in favor of the rebellion with thousands shattered. Fearing that they would be destroyed, the four powerful psychics sunk into the shadows._

"They are still out there… we run, fight and run some more," Garnet finished quietly. Shigeo blinked slowly, digesting the short story. It was… odd but most things were odd to him.

"So… there is an… alien esper in your hands?" Shigeo asked carefully. He reached out to touch the gem closest to him then flinched back as he realized he had attempted to do so without permission.

"There are two, actually. I was an experiment that wasn't meant to be. So many other humans had died or gone insane," Garnet presented him with her hand, obviously encouraging him to explore her gem. Shigeo found that he was fascinated as he traced around the edge of the gem. Her skin was soft and smooth, no jagged skin or scars as he had suspected with a close examination. It was as though the gem had been grown there from the very beginning. It was also very warm and, not that Shigeo was concentrating, he could feel a roaring fire and an almost… pounding inside the gem as though something very angry was inside and trying to break out.

"I can see the future, Shigeo and I felt something amazing with you so I had to tell you this truth. Being near me is dangerous and I may disappear one day but…" Garnet trailed off awkwardly. She chewed on her bottom lip and wiggled in her spot. He squeezed the hand in his hand until she turned her covered eyes to him.

"You are my friend, Garnet even though we have not known each other very long. I am honored you told me this story," Shigeo gave her a small, grin. The room was already bright but it was somehow even brighter with the smile she leveled at him. It was beautiful and breathtaking and he wanted to… do something. His face felt hot and he just knew that he was red so he shot his eyes to the butterflies that would occasionally land on Garnet then fly away then attack again.

"What are those…?" He blurted. Her smile melted away almost immediately but she didn't seem angry, he thought. Instead she looked pensive as another butterfly flew towards her. This time she snatched it from the air. Almost immediately, and to Shigeo's horror, wet tears poured from under her glasses.

 **Progression towards Mob's explosion: 40%**

"Baggage from trauma I experienced or will experience," she answered bluntly. She released the undamaged creature and pulled away from him to wipe her face clean, "the one that you touched was of when I was captured. A lot of them are from that time."

"I-I didn't mean to—." He should have figured that out just by his own strong feelings from touching one himself. Her mother was right, he was no good despite what Garnet thought of their future. Before he could actually apologize Garnet placed a finger against his lips.

"Let's go back to the real world."

TBC

LISTEN HERE! The new episodes in SU blew my mind that I considered changing my plans for this then I was like… dude this whole thing is so far off from canon why bother?


	5. Chapter 5

I cry? Like seriously. Best first review ever? Like? Why would you expose me like this?

Another chapter

A month had passed since he and Garnet started being friends again and Shigeo was content. He was more than content. He was… happy.

Garnet was still very quiet but she was a solid force by his side with gentle thoughts and bright smiles. Shigeo often marveled at how she just seemed to float along in life, adjusting her steps just a bit this way or that way to avoid pitfalls that no one else seemed to consider then continuing to breeze through the rest. It was amazing to him.

As their friendship developed more and more, Shigeo realized that his earlier assumption that Garnet was as blank as he was had been completely incorrect. Garnett laughed when she wanted to laugh, usually loud and full bodied and filled with absolute joy which usually made everyone else laugh as well. She got excited at new prospects, at visions only she could see but she would smile so big and wide and sometimes she'd jump up and down and encourage him to join her even when he didn't know why. She got sad enough for tears to pour down her face like rain from clouds. She would sob so hard that her shoulders shook and her tears would soak his shirt. And she got angry. She could get so angry that the air around them would become stiff and suffocating or cold and unwelcoming.

Yet, through all of those emotions, Garnet never actually hurt anyone. She punched a hole in a wall after a classmate said something really rude but she hadn't hurt him.

That's how Shigeo wanted to be, how he thought that he could be. A lot of the time Shigeo felt heavy, weighed down with the task as being as even and emotionless as possible. He hated it but it was a necessary evil that he had assumed he would have to shoulder for the rest of his life because his power was too great, too evil. But there was Garnet and her sisters with powers alien and just like his and none of them were weighed down.

In fact, being close to Garnet brought him close to Pearl and Amethyst as well. Pearl was often emotional, so, so emotional but nothing like Amethyst. Not even the time Shigeo saw Pearl shift through five facial expressions in the span of one second could compare to the whirlwind that was Amethyst. Shigeo has never, in his short life, ever met someone so boisterous who shouted every emotion she felt exactly when she felt it. She was a completely open book and she didn't try to close up at all. Maybe that was what drew Ritsu to her.

"Did Amethyst run off with your brother again?" Pearl asked as she approached. Shigeo pulled himself out of his thoughts and looked about them. It had been the four of them on this bench, working through some study material. Well, it was more like Garnet was trying to make math make any sort of sense to his nonsense brain but he had got caught up in the soothing, smooth sound of her voice… so sometime when Garnet started teaching him and now his brother and their sister had slipped away. Well, they were always slipping away to be alone. He wasn't sure what they did but he supposed it involved a lot of psychic work because Ritsu was often sleepy and red eyed when they returned.

"Would you like for me to look for them?" Garnet tilted her head. In the last month, Garnet had shed the horrible accent and now almost sounded like a native. Almost. Shigeo thought that he might have had something to do with that as they spent their time physically apart in mind speech and he would deliberately think in his native language instead of the vague understanding between two minds.

"No, no. She's always with him… I just hope she doesn't get too attached," Pearl worried, chewing on her bottom lip. Shigeo tried to ignore the flutter in his stomach as he thought that the girls being there wasn't permanent. There was always, always a chance that one day Garnet would just not be there.

 **Progress towards Mob's explosion: 45%**

A cool palm slid against his and fingers gently fit their ways between his until he felt the cold press of Garnet's gem. He blinked up at her and was greeted by a soft, gentle look. Oh yeah, he was supposed to enjoy the time they had together as much as possible.

"She will be fine," Garnet finally answered when she was satisfied with his new expression. Pearl looked as though she wanted to say more, her mouth open and a finger held up but clammed up very suddenly. A very light red crept up her neck and colored her cheeks and she awkwardly ducked under the table then sort of changed her mind to grab a book instead which lead to her being twisted all weird to read an upside down book. Shigeo was sure this was odd behavior but a look to Garnet just gained a small grin.

"Hello Garnet-chan and Mob-kun… is that Pearl?" Shigeo turned in his chair to see the beautiful Tsubumi. She stood on tiptoe, squinting to see the twisted up body. Pearl jerked hard as though shocked and sat up with a big, big smile stretching her face and her eyes definitely too big.

"Haa-haa! Yes, it is I! Pearl! Hellooooo!" Pearl boomed much louder than necessary. Shigeo was very sure that this was odd behavior. The Indian girl waved hard enough to possibly dislocate her shoulder.

"You are so funny, Pearl-kun," Tsubomi giggled then she placed a hand on Garnet's shoulder and leaned a little closer to her, "Are you ready to go?" Oh yes, Garnet did tell him that she had a girl day trip with Tsubomi today. He was so wrapped up in their studying and being together that he completely forgot. He also forgot that Garnet said that there was a good chance that he would have a session with his sensei today. He wondered just how good her future seeing abilities were.

"G-go? Where are you guys going?" Pearl jumped to her feet.

"I invited Garnet-chan on a girls' day. We're going to have so much fun!" The pale girl clapped excitedly. Garnet nodded in agreement and stood, hiking her bag over her shoulder. Mob stood as well and was prepared for the hug that Garnet pulled him into enough to not blush _too_ hard. He rather enjoyed them for their warmth and the tight press of their bodies together. It was nice. He could almost feel her heart beating between them and he wondered if she could feel his do that weird double beat.

"See you later, Shigeo-san. Pearl-nii-chan," Garnet linked arms with her companion.

"Goodbye," Shigeo waved, giving a nod to Tsubomi and, just like that, they were off, already giggling and talking with their heads bent towards each other. Which left Shigeo with Pearl. It wasn't a problem, it really wasn't. He's been around Pearl before and he's been around people before. So it wasn't a problem but… Shigeo cast a look at the girl. Pearl was strange. Very strange. Like she was still staring in the direction that Garnet and Tsubomi had gone in even though there was no way she could still see them and she was biting down on her lip too hard to feel great. Her face was also twisted up in some kind of expression he couldn't readily identify but it didn't do her any favors beauty wise. He wondered if he should maybe ask some questions…

Ding!

Oh, saved by the bell. Well, the cell phone. His cell phone. Shigeo dug his phone from his pocket and discovered it to be his sensei. Of course. Garnet was so amazing. He shot the man a quick text in affirmation of his newest lesson and slung his bag over his shoulder.

"Are you going somewhere?" Pearl whispered. Shigeo startled just a bit. He thought that he could just sneak away while she was distracted but she was obviously not that distracted.

"Yes, I have to meet up with Reigen-sensei to get rid of some spirits," he explained.

"Oh, really? Do you think…?" Pearl trailed off, blinking up at him with big, blue eyes. Okay. Shigeo hasn't exactly been waiting or practicing for a moment like this but he also sort of had. This was a moment that someone socially competent could easily navigate and if Shigeo wanted to be popular one had to be socially competent. So, Pearl wanted to ask him something but was embarrassed. It probably wasn't something outrageous but also something she normally wouldn't ask him which begged the question of what she would normally be doing. He didn't know much about either Pearl or Amethyst outside of little snippets Garnet told him. Speaking of Amethyst…

"Oh!" Shigeo's eyes widened as he figured it out. It was so obvious, "You're lonely!"

Pearl nearly tripped in her effort to jump to her feet. She stammered and sputtered jumbled strings of sentences, some of which didn't make sense but Shigeo didn't need to hear them to know he was correct. Pearl was usually _always_ with two other people but now they were both off doing other stuff. Amethyst was practically glued to Ritsu and Garnet was usually with him and now she was with Tsubomi. He knew what it felt like to be lonely like when Ritsu had started to avoid him and be not good. That wasn't a good feeling at all.

"Would you like to join me?" Shigeo offered. Pearl jerked away as though he had physically touched her but he hadn't moved from his spot and he wouldn't until she came with him. Garnet told him that Pearl sometimes didn't go along with invitations despite wanting to which he didn't quite understand but was sure he had a good idea why.

"Um… no I couldn't. Wait. I mean yes. Yes, I appreciate your courtesy," Pearl gave him a hesitant, half smile. She packed up her thing and off they went in an okay silence. It wasn't the comfortable, warm silence interrupted by humming and swaying that he shared with Garnet or the easy silence that occurred when he was simply lounging around with Ritsu or even the not silence filled with active but frivolous chatter that one time he was alone with Amethyst. But, all the same, it was okay.

RRREEEEIIGGGGEEEENNNN

" _Another_ girl?" Reigen raised a brow. He had expected Mob to come alone or Garnet but no, he was with yet another girl. This had to be some kind of record for any teenage boy. This one was definitely different from the other one, a nervous skinny thing who flinched when he leaned in for a closer inspection but she didn't step back and simply stared back at him with defiant blue eyes. She had guts, he thought _and_ she didn't give off those 'not natural' vibes that the other one did.

"This is Pearl-kun. She's an esper as well and a sister to Garnet," Shigeo explained as he placed his bag in a corner. Ugh, Garrrnet. Reigen tried not to roll his eyes because he was a mature adult but that girl was just pure trouble. He could tell just by how she accused him of being a fraud. Only suspicious, pure trouble girls would do such a thing.

"Where is that one at?" He asked, pulling away from the girl and turning to his faithful student. Of course he was being the polite boy he was and starting up a pot of tea. How he cried at the thought of his student being in the presence of that evil Garnet girl.

"My sister is out with Tsubomi," Pearl—what's with the jewelry names?—sniffed delicately. Tsubomi… Tsubomi… hold up a second! Tsubomi as in the girl Mob loved!? Reigen's eyes widened at the mere implication that Garnet, the girl trying to steal Mob, was handing out with Tsubomi, the girl… well, just the pretty and popular girl. It meant that she was trying to take out the competition. No doubt about it. With Tsubomi out of the way she'd wrap Mob and his gentle heart right about her brown finger. Oh yes she would. Poor, gullible Tsubomi and Mob. True love that never fully blossomed. All ruined by some foreigner.

"Yes, I hope that they are having fun," Mob served their tea and took one for himself. Reigen almost opened his mouth to expose the deadly plan he believed unraveling but there was this… tingling feeling. Like the eyes of a deadly monster was watching him. He glanced over his shoulder but there was no one, not even a wayward spirit. He looked to Shigeo who seemed to be sending a text and then, he landed on blue eyes staring big and wide at him. But behind that pretty color was that same oddness that just gave him the creeps. The creeping creeps. Reigen shuddered and took a long sip of his hot tea, swallowing the words.

Of course the sister was just as crazy.

But she was still coming along with them and Reigen had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to convince Mob to reconsider.

The train ride felt much longer by the silence that stretched between the three of them. It gave him a sense of restlessness as though something bad was going to happen but it didn't and they were soon trekking to the cave they had been summoned to. According to three couples there was a ghost terrorizing residents that lived not too far from it all throughout the night. It hadn't hurt anyone so far but it had killed at least one pet and that's how they ended up on his step offering him a pretty good amount to have it removed posthaste. As soon as the little chest was opened, Reigen agreed.

However, now standing in the cavern… surrounded by at least a hundred very missed off looking ghosts from various eras (but all toting some surprisingly well kept weapons) he felt that he maybe should have charged more.

"Well then, this doesn't look so bad. Pearl? Would you like to join me outside while Mob takes care of these lightweights?" Just because he thought that she and her sister were complete odd balls didn't mean that he'd just let a little girl get beat up.

"No, I would like to stay and help. I need the practice," Pearl said as she began to stretch and shake out her limbs. She did a prayer pose at her forehead and, suddenly, she held a very real looking, fancy white spear. Where did that thing just come from? He looked to Mob to see if he saw what just happened but the boy was in his phone. Reigen resisted the urge to facepalm even though he was absolutely positive that the teenager was texting Garnet.

"My sisters and I typically divide amongst ourselves. I'll start…"

Reigen shook his head as he slowly walked out of the cave, past the honorable ghosts who wouldn't attack someone so easy when they had bigger fish to fry. At least he hoped Pearl was a bigger fish, she had made her choice and seemed confident but he doubted she could keep up with his protege. Even if she couldn't, it was the ghosts who he had to wish luck to because it would take at least twenty of them going down before they'd wipe those cock grins off their faces. Poor, poor idiots.

GARRRRBOOOOMMMIIII

"Who are you texting?" Tsubomi leaned forward to take a peek at Garnet's phone around her ice cream. She was both surprised and not surprised that Garnet was sending a message to Mob. She took a nibble of her mochi ball, humming at the sweet treat inside the dough and at just how cute Garnet and Mob messages were. So awkward. But cute.

"Shigeo decided to invite Pearl with him to work," Garnet said around the ball she had shoved into her mouth. Even with the giant glasses Tsubomi could tell that she really, really liked her sweet treat… actually, she seemed to like all the sweet treats that Tsubomi giddily convinced her to try.

"I think you have a sweet—did you say Pearl?" Tsubomi blinked. Garnet nodded as she finally sent her reply. It was just a simple warning that Pearl was quite competitive and quite formidable so if there turned out to be more than five ghosts, he would have to move fast to not lose to a game he didn't sign up for. She smiled at his simple 'thank you' and turned her full attention to the kind Japanese girl. There was a light dusting to her cheeks and Garnet wasn't an expert on the human face but she thought that the other girl might have formed her face just a little _too_ casual.

"Yes, my sister is an esper as well and she does not make friends quickly. You should spend a day with her—she would enjoy the cafes we passed," Garnet revealed.

"O-oh. I don't know. She seems to not like me very much," Tsubomi punctured the bright pink ball with her nail and lick the resulting ice cream from her finger. Tsubomi could not prove it but she was sure that the skinny girl would spot her down the hall and turn the other way and she was sure she saw a head of short peach hair duck under desks and tables just as she entered a room or walked by. She wasn't sure what she had done to make the girl act like that but it sort of hurt her feelings.

"Pearl likes you as much as you like her. She's very pretty, isn't she?" Garnet leaned forward just a bit. Tsubomi, being a cool and collected teenage girl, did not jerk and flail around with her shock. Nor did she start to stutter and stammer out denials. Instead, her face turned an absolutely fascinating shade of red and she suddenly found the bows holding Garnet's hair up very interesting.

"I suppose she is," Tsubomi murmured. Garnet nodded.

"She thinks you're very pretty as well. I can text you her number if you'd like…?" She raised her phone in only a bit of a teasing gesture. She felt as mischievous as Amethyst but this was fun, so much fun that she finally understood why Amethyst pulled so many pranks.

"You… don't mind?" Tsubomi shifted only a bit in her seat but her face was still stiff and cold and her attention focused solely on her bows. Garnet frowned now, all amusement gone as she reached forward to place a hand on the other girl's shoulder. She waited until dark eyes finally turned down and looked her in the visors. The girl looked so… guarded and wary as though she expected Garnet to spit on her and walk away which she would never, ever do. She'd personally break the nose of any person who would ever hurt anyone just because who they loved.

"Of course I don't. I would never mind and those who matter will not mind either," Garnet said with all the seriousness available inside her. Tsubomi blinked rapidly, obviously pushing back her tears then she launched forward. It was awkward hugging sitting side by side as they were but it felt right all the same with the girl wrapping her arms as tightly as she could and Garnet hugging back just as hard. After a few moments the arms loosened but Tsubomi didn't pull away so Garnet did not let go.

"We should go shopping. I know a really great store with killer dresses," Tsubomi's voice was muffled against her clothes but Garnet heard her loud and clear.

"Let's go," Garnet chuckled, finally releasing the girl.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Shigeo ran a hand through his hair then hurriedly smoothed it back down. He was hot but cold but sweaty but his mouth was really dry. Flowers nearby were practically pressed flat as he stared at the door before him. It was just a door. All he had to do was knock. He just had to lift his fist and rap it onto the door. It wasn't hard. It was expectant that he would knock. Garnet was expecting him. But his heart was going very fast and he thought that maybe he wasn't breathing or maybe he was breathing too much. Was his head meant to feel this light?

"Kageyama-kun?" A voice called out to him. Shigeo slowly turned his eyes from the door and to the blond haired boy who stood at the end of the path, blue eyes sparkling away as they usually do.

"Teru…" he managed to choke out. His friend was by his side in seconds, hands on his shoulders and looking him over with an odd expression on his face.

"Are you okay? Did something happen to you!?" Teruki demanded. He lifted Shigeo's arms and circled around him and pushed his hands through his hair as though he would find injuries there then he turned his eyes to the door. "Did someone in there hurt you?" Shigeo frowned in confusion, turning the words over in his head. While his friend was normally cool and collected, now he seemed frantic and concerned. Was he real? Was this a dream from a psychic who didn't know his friend very well? Shigeo reached out and pressed his fingers into the boy's soft cheek.

"Are you really Teru-kun?" Shigeo has never met a psychic strong enough to trick him for even a second but he's also never met every single psychic either. Teru certainly felt real, even the scar that no one really knew about was there.

"I will not be held accountable for my worry after you've abandoned me for the past almost _month_ ," Teru slapped his hand away but it wasn't malicious. In fact he looked almost sad. Shigeo opened his mouth to ask about such a claim then pressed his lips together and felt guilt overcome him. He _had_ abandoned Teruki especially when taking into consideration that, before Garnet had entered his life, he spent nearly every day with Teruki and then just stopped seeing him all together.

"I'm sorry," he apologized with a bowed head.

"It's fine. Not like I was worried or anything. I didn't go to your house and peek through the window to see if you were still alive," Teruki crossed his arms and looked away from Shigeo which caused the dark haired boy to think that, just maybe, the other boy had done just that. He smiled softly at the obvious care his friend felt for him enough to drop his coolness and admit that he cared that Shigeo had essentially disappeared. It was a long way from the anger, hatred and jealousy Teruki had first displayed towards him.

It was nice.

"Thank you for worrying about me," he said soulfully. He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and smiled a little wider. Teruki's face turned an interesting shade of red and he started to sputter but Shigeo simply spoke over him, "thank you for being here even though I have not been a good friend recently."

"Yeah you haven't," Teruki rolled his eyes but a grin pulled at his lips so Shigeo knew that the boy was no longer angry, "So who's the broad you ditched me for?"

"W-what?" Shigeo stuttered, taking a step backwards.

"I'm not stupid. You wouldn't forget me over another guy—no guy is cooler than me," Teruki took this time to brush a hand through his spiky hair though he was careful to not actually mess up his deliberate bed head look, "So it has to be a girl. Is she pretty? What's her name?"

"Um, she is um," words were suddenly hard and his face felt hard. He didn't understand why though. He's introduced Garnet to people when she first arrived, they were friends. Good friends. He could say that she was indeed pretty because she was and a lot of people agreed—even people who insulted her admitted to that. But standing in front of the expectant Teruki asking these questions, the words suddenly dried up in his throat.

"Wait, you're dressed kinda nice and are those flowers? … Are you going on a date?!" Blue eyes widened to dinner plates and his mouth came close to hitting the ground.

"Er, well. We're just friends. It's a friends date," Shigeo mumbled, eyes on the ground as he idly scuffed his shoe on the ground then stopped. They were his nice black shoes that he normally wore to formal events like his cousin's wedding last year and his pants were creased and black and ironed just right and he did wear a long sleeved, collared shirt. His dad had given him a blazer too which Ritsu _insisted_ that he didn't actually wear and instead threw over his shoulders. His mom had taken pictures and gushed for a long time—still was according to an amused Ritsu—about 'her baby growing up' and smoothed his hair down into perfection and gave him extra money for a bouquet. All the flowers had confused him and they all had a bunch of meanings so he had gotten sunflowers because Garnet was bright and beautiful like the sun.

"Just a friend date?" Teruki had that weird look on his face like he was about to do something Shigeo would definitely not appreciate. Such as put on his most charming smile and approach the dreaded door.

"W-wait!" Shigeo jumped atop his friend, bringing him down to the ground though he remembered to put up a barrier to stop his clothes from getting dirty. "You can't. I have to knock."

"Why? It's just a friends date," he teased.

"I have to knock," Shigeo insisted from his position atop his friend. He didn't know why it was so important that he did this himself but it really, really was. Teruki squinted up at him for a few seconds then nodded his understanding. The dark haired boy climbed off his friend and dusted him off then he went back to the door. And stared. He was sweaty and dry again. His heart was doing weird stuff in his chest. Maybe he should just let Teruki knock, what did it actually matter? It wasn't like he'd never have another chance to knock on Garnet's door.

She may not be here for much longer…

Shigeo bit his lip. It felt like he and Garnet fit so well together that his mind often brushed aside the fact that she very well might not be there next week or even the next day. If he didn't knock now, it was a very real possibility he wouldn't get another chance.

The teenager took a deep breath and knocked. There were footsteps coming closer and Shigeo waited for Garnet to appear and come out but the door swung open to reveal Mrs. Sapphire Fyre.

Oh no.

Shigeo tried to fix his face into a grin but he knew that it looked funny because it felt funny. A single blue eye looked (read:glared) out at him, and full lips pulled down into such a heavy frown that he felt it try to pull his own lips down.

"Oh. You came… and you brought a friend," she turned her icy gaze away from him and to Teruki. The boy smiled brighter as though the temperature hadn't fallen several degrees and held out a hand.

"Hello, ma'am. I am Hanazawa Teruki," he introduced himself in that charming way.

"Hm," the woman ignored his hand and walked into the house. Well, not walked. With her dress being a simple house one and her lacking shoes he could see that she was actually floating just a few scant centimeters off the ground.

"Cold," Teruki commented cheerfully. Shigeo gave him a half smile that definitely didn't reach his eyes. A picture shuddered as he passed by. He knew he should have asked Garnet to meet him at the restaurant. The couch lifted off the ground, swaying with his emotions.

"Sapphy! I can't find my phone! I need to take pictures! Heeeeelllpppp meeeeee!" A voice shouted and the sound of thudding feet covered the thud of the couch falling back to the floor. Mrs. Sapphire Fyre huffed and the temperature around them slowly got warmer until it was something boarding on comfortable. Just as the last shiver left Shigeo, another woman came running into the room and practically barreled into the blue haired woman.

"She looks so cute and I gotta take pictures and—oh, thanks!" Mrs. Ruby Fyre smiled brightly as her missing phone was presented silently. She dropped a kiss on her wife's cheek then paused, "why're you so cold? You need some warming up?"

"Ruby, don't you dare!" Mrs. Sapphire took a step back but it was too late. Mrs. Ruby Fyre caught the thin woman around the waist and spun her around, raining kisses on her. Mrs. Sapphire Fyre pushed at her wife and tried to protest but soon she dissolved in uncontrollable giggles as the kisses only became more insistent.

"Moooomssss, stop being gross!" Garnet's voice protested somewhere upstairs.

"Why? It's not like your… oh," the bushy haired woman finally took notice of the two boys standing in her home. Shigeo gave a half wave that he hoped wasn't weird especially with Teruki giving his standard charming smile and seeming completely at ease with being stared at. Mrs. Ruby Fyre shifted her wife onto her shoulder much like one would do with a sack of potatoes and sauntered right up to them.

"Nice to see you again, Shigeo! And who's this?" She grinned, ignoring the little hands pounding at her back.

"Ruby, you let me go right this instance!"

"Teruki, ma'am," the boy held out his hand. Even though the woman leveled him with a bright smile, she did not accept the hand. Of course that might have something to do with the now kicking legs. Or she didn't like him as much as her wife didn't like him.

"Mom! I need help with my hair," Garnet called from upstairs. Mrs. Sapphire Fyre went still and when she spoke it was with obvious smugness to her voice.

"So, you want to help her Mrs. Fyre?" Instead of answering her wife, Mrs. Ruby Fyre gently set her wife down with a twisted expression on her face to which the other laughed and floated gracefully from the room.

"She'd close the door in my face," Mrs. Ruby Fyre chuckled more to the boys than to her wife. Shigeo just barely heard her as he was still stunned that Mrs. Sapphire Fyre could be so carefree and… nice. It was almost like she was a completely different person in those few moments.

"Teruki, take a seat. Remote is right there. Shigeo, come help me in the kitchen," Mrs. Ruby Fyre threw an arm over Shigeo's shoulders and practically dragged him into the kitchen. He managed to throw a look over his shoulder at Teruki. To say that the blond's head shake did not nothing for his sudden nerves would be the understatement of the year. His stomach felt like a stone and what was this horrible taste in his mouth? The coffee machine turned on by itself. Mrs. Ruby Fyre grinned at his blush, "it's okay. It's all loaded up, no doubt due to my brilliant wife or daughter." She turned away from him to pull out a tray and a bowl of sugar cubes, "Damn… where is the…? Oh!" The woman laughed loudly as she nearly knocked over the little pitcher of cream already placed in reaching distance, "Let me just say that without my wife I'd be a lost mess." She laughed again as she sat the tray down on the island.

"Ma'am…" Shigeo started to say, not quite sure just what he was going to say. Maybe something to defend himself.

"I'm not very smart," Mrs. Ruby Fyre interrupted him. He blinked in shock, unsure what she wanted from him. She continued on as she grabbed mugs, "It's a fact, really. Something to do with this gem in my hand. All Rubies are a bit on the dumber side. Not that I was ever winning any smart prizes." She shrugged almost to herself. "But I've got good instincts. I followed them to gaining my freedom, marrying my wife, supporting my team and protecting my daughter."

"Mrs.—."

"My dear Sapphy can be really harsh sometimes. I know it. She knows it. But she can be very right too. It's the pro of seeing the future," Mrs. Ruby Fyre leaned forward, lips still up in a smile but it definitely wasn't friendly and warm anymore. It was… hot. Or was that the room? Shigeo shifted on his feet, unwilling to look the woman in the eyes anymore but unable to look away. Her eyes glowed an intense, bright red and it was like heat waves lifted from her very flesh to attempt to suffocate him.

"Don't hurt my Garnet. In any way or shape. I don't want to have to hurt you back," she pulled back and, suddenly, the temperature was back to normal and nothing about her was like looking into a volcano. She gave him a grin full of teeth, "Got it?"

"I got it." Shigeo wasn't a monster. He was a normal boy who was worthy of any and all friendships he came across. He was working on himself but he didn't need to be better to not hurt Garnet. He would _never_ hurt her.

"Good! Now let's get this coffee to your buddy," The woman cheered, picking up the tray. Shigeo nodded and poured coffee into the cups, leaving room for cream then exited the kitchen with her close behind.

"Mom, I'm coming down!" Garnet called out not long after Teruki accepted his mug with an excited smile. He loved coffee. Mrs. Ruby Fyre practically dropped the tray and scrambled for her phone just in time for Garnet to come down. Shigeo gathered his flowers back up and turned to catch the first sight of his friend.

 **Progress towards Mob's explosion: 50%**

Garnet smiled big and wide at him as she approached. Shigeo knew that there was chatter around them, could feel the vibrations of words being said but he couldn't hear them. He couldn't even see anyone else but this girl before him.

"You look…" She looked absolutely stunning from the top of her curly faux hawk to the tips of her painted toes. She looked more beautiful than he's ever seen her, so much so that his heart was doing that weird triple beat and his stomach felt like it was trying to run away and he was breathless. He gazed at himself through her glasses, the back of his mind noting that he looked quite foolish with his mouth opened the way it was.

"For me?" Garnet nodded towards the flowers within his grasp. Shigeo nodded silently and practically threw the flowers at her in his panic to hand them over. The smile never left her face as she ran delicate fingers over the petals, "In my most likely vision you came with roses."

"I-oh," Shigeo lowered his gaze.

"I like these better," Garnet continued, "they're beautiful."

"Like you!" Shigeo blurted, "I didn't mean that! Wait, n-no I—you _are_ beautiful but I meant that I got the flowers because they're like you. They reminded me of you."

He felt a foreign happiness burst behind his eyes and he knew that he had said the right thing. Garnet placed all the flowers but one into a nearby vase and held out her hand to take. Her gem beat warmly against his palm and he smiled. He felt her insistence that they leave inside his mind and gladly started to follow her out.

"Wait! I need a picture of you two!" Mrs. Ruby Fyre sobbed, tears pouring down her face.

"You've taken a lot already," Garnet pointed out.

"And I need your mom's number so I can send them to her. Oh these are getting printed and put into an album!" Her mom continued to gush as though she hadn't said anything. Garnet shook her head but obediently posed with Shigeo, at one point making a silly face that caused Shigeo to snort. After many, many pictures (some including Teruki) the three were released into the world, promises to call the police should they not check in throughout their date called behind their back.

"Teruki, would you like to join us?" Garnet asked as they walked towards their first destination. Shigeo nearly jumped out of his skin as he realized that his blond haired friend was still there with them.

 **Progress to Mob's Explosion: 52%**

He didn't want Teruki to come for some reason that he couldn't quite put his finger on but he was his friend so that was the nice thing to do.

"And put all the attention on me? I wouldn't dare," Teruki grinned. The sour feeling he hadn't noticed eased and the gravel not too far away fell innocently to the ground. Until Teruki continued. The boy stepped closer to Garnet and _kissed_ her. Twice! On both cheeks. Monstrous heat burst inside his chest. A tree behind him disintegrated. Wind suddenly whipped around them.

 **Progress to Mob's Explosion: 60%**

"I'll see you two friends later. Caio," he grinned, walking away as though he didn't feel anything out of the ordinary. Shigeo couldn't form words, unsure what would actually leave him should he speak. He didn't like this feeling. He didn't like it at all. It reminded him that he hadn't changed much, he still wasn't in absolute control. He pulled away from Garnet but the wind didn't stop, the tree didn't put itself back together. He was bad. Horrible.

"It is okay," A cool gem pressed into his cheek.

"It is not," he whispered then something warm and soft pressed into his face, just at the corner of his mouth.

Oh.

Everything stilled around him.

Garnet pulled back from the kiss with a small grin.

Then she did it again.

"It is okay," she repeated in a gentle whisper.

"Yes," Shigeo agreed. Maybe it was okay. He swallowed hard and scooped up her hand for perhaps the first time, "Um. I have a surprise for you."

+—

"Karaoke?" Garnet squealed. Like actually squealed. The hand holding his tightened and he was being (willingly) dragged into the cafe. Shigeo felt quite proud of himself. Garnet was always humming or singing little songs under her breath so it made sense that she might like to actually sing so here they were. He grabbed a seat while she practically bounced to the empty stage.

"Should I order you something?" Shigeo called out as he was approached by a rather frazzled looking waitress. He could see why as it was rather busy inside.

' _Avoid the chicken. I would like tea… they have my favorite song. You will have to join me for this one so I will settle...'_ Garnet murmured absently from her mind to his. Shigeo went red at the thought of standing in front of all these people and perform even the smallest piece. Garnet let out a gasp and then the music started, an upbeat display of drums and guitar. It was a song from a not quite popular idol who mostly talked about trying harder and harder every day. Shigeo only listened to one of her songs, not understanding critics opinion on her pitch or something but she seemed like a lovely lady with a nice voice. The waitress came with his complimentary water just as Garnet opened her mouth.

"Ganbatteru mainichi damon dakarasa  
Nakitaku naru koto ippai aru yo ne!" Shigeo nearly swallowed his tongue. He knew it. He knew her voice would sound amazing. She shone brightly on the small stage, a bounce coming to her step as she sung. It was mesmerizing. Chatter in the cafe seemed to agree, dimming as their attention was dragged to the stage. All eyes on her. She was a super star. It almost knocked him for a loop when she came to (what appeared to him) a sudden stop.

"Shigeo! Please join me for the next one," She beckoned, nearly breathless. Red rose in his cheeks and his eyes darted down to the tea and mini sandwiches that had been delivered without his notice. ' _No singing on your part but it is English.'_ He lifted his head to tell her that it was okay, he was okay not stepping in her light, perhaps she should invite someone else but then it was like she was so much closer, so hopeful that he'd join her, waves of encouragement wafting off of her and filling his senses.

And that's how he ended up on stage, rapping along to 'American Boy'. He stumbled over every other word and the song felt awkward on his tongue. The other patrons were being loud and waving their arms and some even came up as though he were an actual performance. When Garnet's part came she pressed closed and did a shimmy that made him choke on his supporting bits.

It was fun.

Really fun.

At the end he smiled breathlessly at Garnet.

At the end she smiled back.

 **Progress to Mob's Explosion: 61%**

—+

They sat on a bench in a little park with stir fried ice cream being shared between the two of them. He didn't understand why he had to share as he had more than enough money and Garnet also offered the money she brought but his father insisted that he treated her to a treat that they could share.

So here he was. Sharing rolled up ice cream that exploded in his mouth. He and Garnet sat close with the cup between them, silently watching the people walking by. Every once and a while Garnet would point to someone and silently predict their day. She insisted it was probably inaccurate as she didn't know them but it was funny to him. A few of them were given very unique predictions of crazy adventures that were too wild to ever come true.

"I cannot turn it off but I can focus it on more mundane things and that relaxes me," Garnet nibbled on a tiny roll. Shigeo nodded his understanding. It made sense to him and he certainly wouldn't want to constantly know what would happen or accurately know what could happen forever and ever. Maybe for a day or two but Shigeo knew himself and because he knew himself he knew he'd rely heavily upon such a powerful gift. Garnet pointed to two boys just as they kissed, "I can also share it for a few seconds. It would require a kiss, of course. Would you like to see your future Shigeo?"

Garnet tilted her head playfully but she was being serious, he could tell. Shigeo looked to her full lips now made sticky by ice cream and sweet by various candies she had bought and attempted to share as they walked around. He didn't get how she could eat all that candy without getting sick but he didn't get a lot of things. Like how he reached blindly for another roll and Garnet did the same and they both reached the last one, their fingers landing on each other and the treat. Pretty warmth filled him as it always did accompanied by the weird heart thing that didn't bother him so much anymore. He twisted his hand under hers and linked their fingers. They were cold and a little sticky, her gem beating as rapidly as his heart and just as warm. He didn't get a lot of things but he did get one thing.

"Thank you for the offer, Garnet but I am okay knowing this present with you." Shigeo used his telekinesis to lift the last roll and broke it into two perfect parts. One he held up to her lips and the other he put to his own.

"I like this present." He almost whispered.

"I do too." She whispered back.

—+

TBC

Ugh. I love love. Teruki was being a bit of a jerk cause his feelings be hurt but he don't want Garnet.

To be honest I just figured you lovely peeps saw this title in a dream and searched it out. But I'm glad there are people who like my vision! Thank you for reading. Can't wait to see what happens next.

I hope you guys enjoyed!


	7. Chapter 7

Warning: strong language

—+

Ritsu was in trouble.

Maybe. Well, Shigeo was sure that Ritsu was in trouble.

He was having nightmares at least.

But not just regular nightmares that woke people with his screams. No, these were worse. Ritsu was having nightmares so bad that it sent tremors through the house.

At first Shigeo hadn't noticed them, the tremors were so small that he slept through them so much so that he still wasn't sure how often they happened but one night it had been so bad that their mom had come running into his room screaming and crying so loud that he could only make out 'Ritsu'. But that was enough to get him out of the bed and into the halls.

It took him a second too long to realize that things were shaking. Like a low vibration was going throughout the entire house, attacking the floors just enough to make them feel funny and the walls enough to shake the photos. He heard a couple of clatters from the bathroom, sure that their toothbrushes had fallen due to being close to the edge.

He yawned and walked to his brother's room, unsure as to what could have his brother do such a thing and so late at night too. He knocked without an answer and opened the door.

It was a… shock to see Ritsu's room. It was absolutely destroyed. Everything was tossed around, papers, clothes, knick knacks and pillows. It was like a whirlwind had ripped through it. But most importantly was Ritsu. He was in the middle of the chaos, floating practically to the ceiling and obviously in the throes of a horrific nightmare. He kicked and punched in the air, body twisting around in a circle as he fought invisible enemies. His face was covered in sweat and twists in fear or pain or both. And his lips moved but no sound came out.

It was horrible.

"Ritsu!" Shigeo called out. He used his own powers to stop the tremors and pulled Ritsu down to his level. The boy was still sleep, still fighting things that weren't real and weren't there. "Ritsu, it's okay. Wake up." He wrapped his arms around the boy's shoulders and pulled him into a tight hug. "Wake up. Wake up, Ritsu. I'm here. Shigeo is here."

"Nii-san!" Ritsu gasped, jerking back as though to escape then changing his mind to return the hug. He shivered violently and practically clung to him. "Cold. Alone. So cold. So alone." Shigeo made noises that he was sure sounded soothing as he led his little brother back to his bed and laid them both down. The discarded pillows were easily summoned to them, going under their heads to add comfort that he thought his brother might need.

This was the right thing to do.

"What's wrong?" He asked, running his hand through the sweat drenched hair.

"I… it's nothing. Just a nightmare," Ritsu was… lying, probably. It made sense if he was. This was no normal nightmare in his opinion and just the way he held onto Shigeo made him know that his brother was keeping a secret. But if Ritsu was lying then he wouldn't tell the truth, it was that simple.

"Okay," he smiled. He patted the younger boy on the head and made to get up only to be trapped by the tightening arms.

"No! I need… please, can you...?" Ritsu trailed off. He seemed to fight with himself and slowly released him but Shigeo was glad to stay the night and protect his brother's dreams. He leaned over Ritsu to grab the fallen blanket and threw it over the both of them, making sure that his brother was tucked into the warmth. Then he grabbed Ritsu's hand and twined their fingers.

"Good night, Ritsu," he whispered, snuggling down into the pillow. Ritsu squeezed his hand and in the next second was sleep once more.

Yes, Ritsu was definitely in trouble.

—+

"Wow, you say he shook the entire house?" Teruki handed him a mug of hot chocolate. Teru made the best hot chocolate in all of Japan no matter the time of year, he was sure of it. Shigeo nodded, taking a sip of the delicious liquid. The other boy let out a long whistle, "They must be pretty intense nightmares. He can barely do that while he's awake. I've shaken a house or two when I first was on the run from those claw bozos. I was terrified… er, maybe not terrified…" a hot blush blossomed across his face.

"I would be terrified," Shigeo shrugged. If there were people more powerful than him willing to torture and kill anyone weaker, he would live a life of constant fear and if they were targeting him personally he probably wouldn't sleep a single wink. But Ritsu wasn't being pursued… was he? No. That was very serious and he would definitely tell his big brother about that. He knew it wasn't something to be kept secret. Then again Ritsu was sometimes a mystery to him and he did things that didn't make sense.

"You don't think he's gone back to showing off his abilities and attacking people, do you?" Teruki frowned. Shigeo immediately shook his head. There was no mystery there. Ritsu wasn't a bad person and he wouldn't go back to a place where he acted like one. No, he definitely wasn't doing _that_ anymore.

"He spends most of his time with Amethyst now so I'm not sure what he does but it's nothing bad," Shigeo was sure of that or Garnet would have seen their behavior and put a stop to it or Pearl would have noticed and put a stop to it. Or their parents, though he haven't met the Mrs. Quartz who took care of Pearl and Amethyst.

"Well, you know what you'll have to do right?" Teruki took a long sip, waiting for Shigeo to come to the answer himself. Shigeo truly appreciated it but he also wasn't much of a detective, never really liked detective mangas or shows. Well, Death Note was a good anime and manga—the live action movie wasn't so bad either. Of course he meant the Japanese live action as he heard enough bad things about the Netfl—.

Oh.

"I'll have to ask Amethyst," he concluded suddenly. Teruki raised his mug and gave him a swift nod.

—+

Finding Amethyst was easy because he and Garnet stayed in almost constant contact through text messages. They talked about nothing and everything all the time. He's never used his phone as much as he did now and he liked it almost as much as he liked their mental conversations. It was like a visible representation of how he was changing and growing. He really liked it. The girls were in the middle of having lunch when Shigeo knocked on Garnet's door. It was thankfully just the three of them there so he was welcomed with smiles and a plate already made for him.

"I made burgers," Amethyst said around a mouthful of said burger, "Garnet said you'd be around."

"Would you like privacy?" Garnet asked, standing close enough that he could feel her body heat.

"Um, no. I don't think so," Shigeo gave her hand a squeeze, fingers brushing against her warm gem. She leveled him with a stomach tightening smile. He smiled back before dragging his eyes off of her and to Amethyst. He needed to focus, for Ritsu. Amethyst looked bored as she chewed her food, ketchup on the corner of her lips and some stained on her T-shirt. "Hello Amethyst."

"'Sup?" She gave him a little nod.

"Ritsu has been having nightmares—I don't know for how long but they're bad—and he will not tell me why or what they are about. I thought you may know." There. He did it. Amethyst took another bite and spoke around it, a bit of food falling from her mouth.

"I fuse with him when we're alone. My brain is kinda intense so that's probably why he's got the nightmares." Shigeo stared at the girl. He understood her words but not in the sentence that she placed them. But Garnet and Pearl did. Especially Pearl. The skinny girl jumped up so fast that her chair clattered to the floor, her face twisted all up.

"Amethyst! How could you do that?" She shrieked. Garnet's hands tightened around his and he knew that whatever their sister had done was bad.

"He wanted to help me so I let him. It's not like I forced him or anything," Amethyst folded her arms across her chest and stubbornly fixed her eyes anywhere that wasn't them.

"Amethyst, that was foolish and dangerous, what if you had hurt him more than you already have, more than what can be fixed?" Garnet murmured but the words weren't gentle. They were hard and smooth as ice.

"He said he could handle it," the grey haired girl insisted. Pearl slammed her hand against the table so hard that a crack appeared, spreading all the way to the other side. A piece of wood broke off and nearly slapped Shigeo in the face but Garnet caught it without ever taking her eyes off of the youngest sister.

"No!" Pearl shouted. "No! You can't do that! You can't just let a kid—!" Amethyst threw her spoon at the girl before she could continue, causing the skinny girl to snatch it out the air and throw it back. It smacked loudly Amethyst in the face but she hardly seemed to notice.

"Shut up! Just shut up! I'm a fucking kid too! You don't think I deserve some relief? He offered! I didn't force him or do anything bad!" Amethyst shouted, tears suddenly pouring down her face. Pearl growled, her hands curled into fists and her body trembling.

"Yes you did! Not only was it bad, it was irresponsible and _stupid_!" Pearl spat.

"I don't understand," Shigeo finally spoke up. Concern creeping into his psyche. He didn't want the sisters to fight.

"Do you remember my butterflies?" Garnet drew his attention before either girl could speak. Shigeo nodded, he didn't think he would ever forget the feeling of utter terror and desperation. "Amethyst went through something—."

"I was abandoned in the spirit world as soon as I could walk—G, if you're going to make me a villain at least tell the whole truth," Amethyst growled.

"You are not a villain," Garnet sighed with a shake of her head, "what happened to her was horrible and, to alleviate that pain she shared it with your brother. Perhaps only seconds at a time, perhaps longer. She does this by fusing their minds and becoming one person."

"His eyes are red from crying," Shigeo realized. He had thought that the girl was giving her brother lessons that were stressful or maybe tiring but he had been wrong. Very wrong.

"Or not sleeping through the night," Pearl cast another angry look at the youngest sister. Amethyst glared back but could not hold it, her watery eyes landing on the damaged table once more.

"You have to stop," Shigeo concluded with a nod. It seemed the most logical and reasonable conclusion.

"What? No! It makes me feel good!" Amethyst protested.

"It is hurting my brother." He was confused again. He knew that the girl wasn't a bad person but the response she just gave was a bad and selfish one. He didn't understand.

"I don't force him to fuse with me! And you can't make us stop either!" Amethyst pounded her fist on the table, causing it to collapse. Before anyone could say anything else the girl was up and running out of the house. Shigeo jumped to his feet, mouth open and hand out to stop her but Garnet's gentle hand caused him to pause. He looked to her in confusion. He had to stop her and get her to understand that what she was doing wasn't right and had to stop. Why would Garnet stop him from doing that?

"Amethyst went somewhere you cannot follow," she murmured, her lips barely moving. A thought suddenly crossed Shigeo's mind as he stared at the girl.

 **Progress to Mob's Explosion: 65%**

"Did you know that she was hurting him?" He didn't demand or accuse her. At least he didn't think he did. But her silence sent unhappy bubbles through his stomach and the plates once floating through someone's power slammed to the ground, the glass shattering and the burgers smushed.

"I… I was hoping that she wasn't. It was an unlikely future that required so many coincidences to line up that…" Garnet chewed on her lip and looked up at him. Shigeo took a step back until her hand was no longer touching him. Then he took another step as things simultaneously rose and fell and the temperature began to fluctuate. Garnet had known that his brother was being hurt, had known that her sister was doing it and chose to… ignore it. She let it happen. She saw it and just… just let it happen.

"Shigeo, please," Garnet reached for him but did not rise or make an attempt to pull him with her powers.

"What? What am I going to do next?" He whispered for some reason. Everything felt dark around them with just her in the center with that single light shining down on her but this wasn't a good light and the tight feeling in his chest wasn't the good tightness. It was a bad one. Everything was bad. Everything hurt. Garnet had known. She knew and hadn't said anything. Hadn't tried to stop it or warn him or even try to talk Ritsu out of it. Why would she do that? Why did everything hurt?

"Leave. You're going to leave," a single tear fell from under her glasses and trailed down her cheek. The door closed slowly, gently until he could no longer see the girl and her reaching hand. He hadn't even realized that he was still moving, hadn't realized that it was him who closed it. Somehow he still felt like he was there, the questions still swirled in his mind and the pain hadn't faded and he could still see her right in front of him. And he could still feel the coldness creeping into the room then the heat attempting to beat it back and—

"Damn kid, that's rough," Dimple grunted.

Oh.

He was in his mentor's office. And Dimple was there. So was Teruki. His throat felt dry and his hands were warm because there was a mug in his grasp. He looked down at the tea and suddenly realized that he was thirsty. He had been talking, had told the three males about what happened. He was so thirsty.

"I knew that girl was trouble. I said it," Master Reigen nodded firmly mostly to himself. Shigeo swallowed hard and blinked back sudden hotness behind his eyes. Garnet wasn't trouble, she wasn't. But he hurt. Why did everything hurt?

"Oh shut up you fucking idiot. As a gem she has her pick of humans and—no offense kid—but you're not exactly the highest bar and neither is the other one. You should be happy she even looks at you," Dimple shrugged. Oh no. Shigeo's eyes widened as he looked down at his almost empty mug. He hadn't thought about that!

Dimple was right. He was so, so, so right. Garnet was amazing. She was beautiful, strong and full of talent and potential. She could spend her time with anyone, any boy or girl. But she had chosen him all this time, time and time again. He saw her. He saw her turning down offers to hang out unless he too was invited, he saw her say goodbye to her sisters to join him, he saw her always come to him, over and over. Her attention was solely on him and what did he do? He squandered it! He threw it away like trash. He had… he had to go back. He had to go back and apologize right now! _He_ left _her._ Shigeo felt paralyzed in his chair.

"Ugh, you're both idiots. Why do you hang with either of these fools? Kageyama-kun, let's go on a walk," Teruki stood. He waited only a second before realizing that the paralysis still held onto the black haired boy. Teruki clicked his tongue disapprovingly and snatched the mug out of Shigeo's hands. He levitated it carelessly to the table and roughly yanked his friend to his feet. Quickly he pulled the boy out of the office and into the cool air. After looking back and forth, noting where the majority of the people were headed, he yanked Shigeo the opposite way.

Silently.

"So…" Shigeo started, unable to stand the utter silence between them. The events from just moments ago kept swirling around his head and the single tear kept falling down that brown cheek. He didn't liked it. He couldn't stand it. Car alarms went off as they continued to walk, rocked by an invisible force. Shigeo swallowed hard. "So what were you doing at the office?"

"You called out to me. It was… new," Teruki frowned, looking at him with curiosity making his eyes sparkle brighter. Shigeo looked away, a small wave of guilt lapping at his toes.

"I used mind speech… I am sorry. Garnet taught me but…" he hadn't meant to do that. He hadn't meant to make a nuisance of himself or force his mind into someone else's. He hadn't meant to screw up everything so fast like he screwed everything up. How did he manage to mess up in only minutes? He had to go back and apologize. Garnet didn't deserve that, not after how good she was to him—not when she was so amazing and he was so… so him.

"Stop. It," Teruki demanded, rubbing at his temples and glaring at him with one eye. Oh. Shigeo was still projecting, still using his powers like he always did. When would he improve? When would he ever be the way he wanted to be? When would he be like Garnet?

"I…" he started to apologize again but was stopped by his friend holding up a hand.

"I mean all of it. Stop it. I don't care if Garnet was the Queen of the Universe! I don't care if she shitted gold bars! If she made you upset you're allowed to be upset!" Teruki said adamantly.

No. That didn't make sense.

"But she didn't…"

"She didn't what?" Teruki snapped, crossing his arms across his chest and stopping directly in front of them. People walked around them without missing a step, talking amongst themselves but not of them. They had their own lives. Teruki and he were insignificant to them. He was insignificant to everyone. Except Garnet. Teruki slapped his hands down on his shoulder and gave him a shake. "She didn't what Shigeo?!"

"She didn't know," he looked down at their shoes.

"Bull. Shit." Teruki spat, starling him to look up. His friend's face was twisted and starting to become red, "she sees every possibility that can happen. Every. Single. One. She even admitted to a suspicion! And that's enough. She took no action and that makes you upset and you're allowed that Shigeo. I'm not saying you have to be mad forever or never forgive her but right now? You're allowed to feel."

Oh.

 _Oh._

"I… I think you're right." There were no rules that said he wasn't allowed to be upset with other people even if he told himself not to feel. He could be upset or angry and he had a right to it. He did. Just like anyone else because he wasn't an emotionless monster. He was just a human like everyone else and even if he had to keep things tight inside, the people around him weren't allowed to hurt him. They just weren't.

"Of course I'm right. Now, let's get your stuff and let's go to my place. You're spending the night," the blond turned him around and practically dragged him along. The tightness in his chest loosened just a bit and the pain felt a little better.

Teruki wrapped an arm around him and he leaned into it.

—+

TBC

Drama! It was going too well in my opinion but I also don't feel good at drama so it took me sooo long to make this chapter.

I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
